Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Lee Chan-jin, Governor of South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), committed on the 19th to submit comprehensive data on investor losses from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix single-stock leveraged ETF products before the upcoming comprehensive audit. The commitment came during a

According to CNBC on October 18, multiple U.S. stock sectors face mounting investment risks from elevated Treasury yields near decades-high levels, with housing construction bearing the brunt of pressure. According to the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo housing market

China's main stock indices opened lower and fell today. The ChiNext Index (Chinese tech-focused index) dropped over 2%, while the Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.35% and the Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.84%. PCB, CRO, and semiconductor storage sectors led the

According to Yonhap Infomax, on October 19, the Seoul forex market USD-KRW spot MAR (market average rate) quote was trading at zero level before 9 a.m. The NDF (non-deliverable forward) fixing position remained neutral, indicating a balanced market stance among regional participants ahead of the mar

According to CNN Business, the CNN Fear & Greed Index plummeted to 18 on October 16, entering extreme fear territory (0-25 range), down sharply from 30 on October 15. The index was at 46, indicating neutral sentiment, just one week prior. Six of the seven components measuring the index are in extrem

Spot gold rallied over $10 to $4,183.3 per ounce on intraday trading, while spot silver gained nearly $0.3 and surged over 1% during the trading session.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said at the International Monetary and Financial Committee meeting of the IMF Annual Meetings on Oct. 17 that if Europe wants to advance the digital euro according to its current timeline, the EU must formally pass the relevant legislation by the end of 2026. If the legislation is completed, the digital euro could be ready for initial issuance as early as 2029. The ECB also announced its long-term Appia plan, with the goal of presenting a bluepri

At the October 16 U.S. market close, Gate stock market data showed Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) at $343.46, up 0.43%, with a 1.61% gain over the past 5 days. The after-hours price was $342.62, down $0.84, or 0.24%. During the same period, Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, became available for preorder. Within minutes of preorders opening, the estimated shipping date moved from November to December and was then pushed back further to the end of January 2027. All storage configurations from 2

BlackRock is exploring ways to use tokenized assets as collateral and a means of payment in traditional finance, Bloomberg reported on October 18. The world's largest asset manager is focusing on improving how tokenized stocks, bonds, and money market funds are transferred and used as collateral

According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, industrial natural gas output reached 21 billion cubic meters in September, down 1.0% year-over-year, with daily average output at 700 million cubic meters. For the first nine months of 2026, cumulative industrial natural gas production

Last week saw retail investor attention divide between surging demand for Apple's foldable iPhone and setbacks in commercial space launches. Apple's $1,999 iPhone Duo, which opened for preorders on October 16, generated such strong initial demand that delivery estimates extended into January 2027, a

Bitcoin (BTC) staged a sharp short-term rebound at the start of the week, trading at around $82,520 on October 19. Japan’s three major financial groups jointly announced that they had successfully completed a proof-of-concept test for issuing a yen stablecoin and facilitating cross-border corporate payments. Strive increased its holdings by nearly 7,600 BTC over the past two weeks, bringing its total holdings to 35,595 BTC and prompting investment bank TD Cowen to raise its price target from $44

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's GDP grew 4.6% year-over-year in the first three quarters of 2026, with first-three-quarter GDP reaching 1,071,071 billion yuan. Q3 GDP growth accelerated to 4.5%, exceeding expectations of 4.40% and the prior quarter's 4.30%.

Asset management firm Flashlight Capital Partners (FCP) launched a public activist campaign against Korean confectionery company Orion on the 19th, sending an open letter to the board with five demands. FCP criticized the owner family for receiving excessive compensation without board

Deutsche Bank's chief U.S. economist Matthew Luzzetti proposed reducing the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings from eight to six times annually, according to a recent report cited by Yahoo Finance on local time May 18. The proposal aims to allow policymakers to access

China's urban survey unemployment rate declined to 5.2% in September, down 0.1 percentage point from 5.3% in August.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's industrial production in September showed divergent trends across key sectors. Raw coal output registered a narrowing decline, while crude oil production accelerated growth. Natural gas production remained stable, though electricity

According to Matthew Luzzetti, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank, on October 18, reducing the Federal Reserve's FOMC annual meetings from 8 to 6 times could significantly improve the timeliness of economic data available for policy decisions. Luzzetti noted that extending the meeting interval fr

China's large-scale industrial output grew 5.3% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2026, unchanged from the previous period.

China's real estate development investment declined 20.6% year-over-year in January-September 2026, worsening from a 19.9% drop in the previous period, according to official statistics.