Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

PepsiCo warns that rising geopolitical tensions may lead to increased product costs, prompting potential price hikes. The company reported strong Q1 2026 earnings and plans to utilize supply chain and productivity improvements to manage inflation, while other consumer brands also signal possible price increases.

Grinex, a Kyrgyz crypto exchange, suspended trading after a cyberattack resulting in losses of around $15 million. The advanced nature of the attack points to organized or state-level involvement. Grinex has reported the incident to authorities and is assessing the damage.

A report by Vimeo reveals that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are prompting trade restructuring in the Gulf through alternative logistics methods, driven by increased war risk insurance, congestion, and governance uncertainty.

South Korean entertainment technology company Galaxy Corporation has recently moved into the Middle East market, established the Dubai entity “Galaxy ME,” and met with members of the UAE royal family to explore the integration of AI and content. The company has selected an underwriter to carry out its IPO; last year, revenue reached 300 billion Korean won, and it has attracted investments from Jay Chou and Adata, among others. This move is intended to drive the development of the Middle East entertainment ecosystem and underscores the importance of its globalization strategy.

SpaceX has moved employee stock award vesting from May to April ahead of a planned IPO, targeting a valuation above $2 trillion. The changes could impact employees’ tax liabilities and financial risk, as many hold substantial equity in the company.

The PIDS warns that rising global oil prices could push 1.34 million Filipinos into poverty, particularly impacting lower-income families. The report advocates for targeted support rather than broad subsidies, emphasizing vulnerabilities in rural areas and certain regions.

Largan Precision has recently moved into AI data center co-packaged optics (CPO) technology, which has attracted market attention. However, at a shareholder meeting, Chairman Lin En-ping said that it is actually still in the preparation stage, and that mass production is still one to two years away, leading to an approximately 7% drop in the stock price. The company is currently focused on developing fiber array components, emphasizing the opportunity for rapid alignment of emerging technologies.

Circle Internet Group's stock fell 1% after a class action lawsuit alleged it failed to prevent $230 million in stolen USDC during the Drift Protocol exploit. The lawsuit questions Circle's ability to halt the attackers' transactions, raising issues of responsibility for stablecoin issuers in breach scenarios.

Trump said in Nevada that progress on Iran’s military action is going smoothly, predicted that the fighting would end soon, and emphasized the strength of the U.S. military. He mainly promoted a tax exemption policy for tips and responded to questions from the media. Since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement was reached, the situation has changed somewhat, but the true timeline and conditions for when the ceasefire would actually end remain unclear, and there are many disagreements between the two sides.

On April 17, the Shanghai Futures Exchange restricted certain clients from opening positions after they exceeded daily transaction limits, violating trading regulations outlined in their management rules.

International oil prices fell on April 17, with WTI crude down 3% to $88.4 per barrel and Brent crude down 2.38% to $97.029 per barrel.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, USDHUF (US Dollar vs Hungarian Forint) has dropped by 0.5% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

XRP exchange traded funds saw inflows of $11.87 million, increasing total assets to $1.08 billion, reflecting sustained institutional interest and confidence in XRP's role in cross-border payments amidst growing demand for crypto ETFs.

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) has the largest share of short open interest among Bitcoin mining and treasury companies, with short positions representing 34.89% of the free float and 4.71 days to cover, according to the source analysis. The stock traded at $11.42, up from $8.18 at the end of March,

Between 2026-04-17 08:45 and 2026-04-17 09:00 (UTC), the BTC price surged in the short term. The candlestick return was +0.58%, with a price range of 75265.0 - 75862.3 USDT and a range of 0.79%. Market volatility increased and attention rose, with trading volume significantly higher than usual, reflecting a convergence between capital flow and technical signals. The main driver behind this unusual move is the exchange’s net outflow of BTC in sync with ETF capital inflows. Data shows that within the past 24 hours, exchanges recorded a net outflow of 2,844.68 BTC

Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $26 million in inflows on April 16, led by BlackRock's IBIT with $81 million. Ethereum ETFs also performed well, with BlackRock's ETHA gaining $30.51 million, highlighting ongoing institutional interest in crypto markets.

A Citi study recommends combining Bitcoin and gold in investment portfolios for improved long-term returns, noting better performance in various market conditions. Wells Fargo predicts gold could rise to $8,000 by 2027, driven by central bank concerns. Meanwhile, Bitcoin funding rates have reached lows, historically marking turning points.

HKEx has proposed shortening the settlement cycle for Hong Kong's stock spot market from T+2 to T+1 and is seeking market feedback on the new operational model.