Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

President Donald Trump hinted at potential sanctions on Chinese banks over their transactions with Iran when he responded 'Who said I'm not?' to reporters in the Oval Office. The remark came two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Operation Economic Outcast on August 25, a sanction

Bain Capital invested $66 million in RQD Clearing as part of a $74 million funding round for the stock and options clearing firm. Nyca Partners and ABN AMRO's clearing bank provided the remaining capital, according to a company spokesman. The investment comes as the US options market grew 25% from a

Strategy Inc., formerly known as MicroStrategy, ranked as the 10th-most actively traded equity in the United States, generating $4.4 billion in daily trading volume and outpacing companies like Microsoft and Meta in share turnover. The surge is driven by the company's Bitcoin treasury strategy,

According to AXIOS citing U.S. officials, oil tanker traffic through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz has increased to 20–30 vessels per night in recent weeks, with daily cargo volumes reaching 9–10 million barrels of crude oil. This represents approximately 50 percent of pre-war

JPMorgan projects global food inflation could reach roughly 5% on an annualized basis in the first half of 2027, nearly doubling from an estimated 2.8% in the first half of 2026, according to a report titled 'Food Security is National Security' published July 24. The bank attributes the projected in

On August 28, lithium carbonate surged nearly 5% to approach previous highs after stabilizing above the 150,000 level. Apple futures recovered their full weekly losses amid tight supplies of early-season fruit due to weather

According to a company spokesman, Bain Capital's Tech Opportunities team invested $66 million in RQD Clearing, with the fintech firm raising $74 million in total, including contributions from Nyca Partners and ABN AMRO's clearing bank. RQD has cleared over 500 million stock transactions this year, r

According to a JPMorgan report published July 24, global food inflation could rise to approximately 5% on an annualized basis in the first half of 2027, nearly doubling from an estimated 2.8% in the first half of 2026. The bank identifies two primary drivers: fractured fertilizer supply chains due t

According to AXIOS, over the past month Iran continues firing on vessels passing through the strait but has demonstrated limited precision strike capability. A U.S. official stated that only 2% of ships transiting the waterway have been

On Thursday (Aug 28), U.S. President Trump praised Nvidia's (NVDA) earnings performance and 2028 fiscal year revenue growth forecast on social media. Trump also commended Micron Technology (MU) as one of the world's "hottest"

On Thursday, Nike, Nio, and McDonald's shares fell to historic lows—$38.17 (12-year), $4.30 (52-week), and $259.85 (two-year) respectively—as investors weighed turnaround challenges and weak consumer demand. Nike slipped 0.3%, Nio dropped 0.2%, and McDonald's fell over 2%. Nike faces restructuring c

According to MoneyDJ, USA Rare Earth announced on August 24 the completion of a $1.55 billion capitalization for a special purpose vehicle overseeing the first phase production of the Serra Verde project, with the U.S. government contributing $750 million. The arrangement includes a magnetic rare

Nike Inc. (NKE), Nio Inc. (NIO), and McDonald's Corp. (MCD) fell to fresh 52-week lows on Thursday as investors weighed challenges ranging from restructuring costs and weak consumer spending to intense competition in China's electric vehicle market. Nike shares dropped to a 12-year low of $38.17, Ni

According to PANews on August 28, Long Xin Technology reported H1 2026 net profit of 76.605 billion yuan, swinging to profitability from a 2.332 billion yuan loss in the same period of 2025. Revenue reached 1.5031 trillion yuan, up 873.64%

South Korean government bond yields rose on May 28 as foreign investors net sold approximately 26,000 contracts of 3-year treasury futures. The selling occurred ahead of the weekend and a scheduled speech by Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Wash. Market participants cited the perception that bond

According to BlockBeats, on August 28, Chanxin Technology released its H1 2026 financial results showing operating revenue of 1,503.1 billion yuan, up 873.64% year-over-year. The company posted net profit of 776.05 billion yuan attributable to shareholders, compared to a loss of 23.32 billion yuan i

According to Yonhap Infomax, South Korea's 1-year interest rate swap (IRS) rate surged 5.50 basis points to 3.5000% on August 28 as foreign investors increased selling pressure. The 3-year and 5-year IRS rates rose 6.25bp and 7.25bp, respectively, as market participants strengthened bets on at

PayPal shares fell 14% in early premarket trading on Friday following reports that a private equity consortium comprising Advent International and Stripe abandoned takeover talks due to valuation disagreements. Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures were mixed as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair

According to South Korea's financial investment industry, alternative exchange NXT is considering introducing open price single price trading (a unified pricing mechanism at market open) to prevent abnormal price swings at premarket opening. The move follows recent incidents where stocks like SK

U.S. stock futures showed mixed performance early Friday as of 4:30 a.m. ET, with Nasdaq futures falling 0.3%, S&P 500 futures flat with a negative bias, and Dow and Russell 2000 futures rising 0.1%. Investors digested Nvidia's blockbuster earnings-fueled rally that added approximately $453