Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Yonhap Infomax, 3M's stock rose 7.32% to $170.76 on July 21. The company reported adjusted second-quarter earnings per share of $2.40, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25, while adjusted operating margins improved to 24.9%. 3M raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $8.80-$8.

Axiom Biosciences, a San Diego-based developer of regenerative and genetic medicines, plans to go public in Hong Kong in 2027, followed by a secondary U.S. listing in 2029. The company's CEO Remo Moomiaie-Qajar told CNBC the move will open the door to biotech-focused investors while bringing the

According to CNBC, Axiom Biosciences, a San Diego-based developer of regenerative and genetic medicines, plans to go public in Hong Kong in 2027, followed by a secondary U.S. listing in 2029. CEO Remo Moomiaie-Qajar said the move will access sophisticated biotech-focused investors and bring the

Satsuma Technology shareholders voted 90.6% on July 21 to wind down the company and sell its 668 bitcoin holdings. The liquidation plan calls for disposing of bitcoin assets, settling liabilities, and distributing remaining proceeds to shareholders, with a London Stock Exchange delisting targeted ar

According to BlockBeats, on July 22, U.S. optical communications stocks surged across the board, with the pure photonics ETF FOTO up over 9%. Coherent rose over 11%, while Lumentum and Ciena climbed over 9% and near 8%, respectively, according to BIT exchange

Japan's seasonally adjusted merchandise trade balance in June showed a deficit of 881.9 billion yen, worse than the forecasted deficit of 502.1 billion yen and significantly larger than the prior month's deficit of 90.4 billion yen.

According to Japan's Finance Ministry, Japan's exports in June grew 13 percent year-over-year to the United States, 20.3 percent to the European Union, and 22.7 percent to Asia.

According to Japan's Ministry of Finance, the country's crude oil imports in June declined 13.7% year-on-year. Liquefied natural gas imports increased 6.2% year-on-year, reaching 4.718 million tons.

The USD-KRW exchange rate climbed to 1,482.00 won as of 6am on July 22, rising 8.60 won from the previous Seoul market close of 1,473.40 won, driven by escalating Middle East geopolitical risks and a sharp depreciation in the Japanese yen. Oil prices surged over 2% as US President Donald Trump

According to Morgan Stanley's latest research, the firm maintains an Attractive rating on the software sector and names Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, Datadog, ServiceNow, Snowflake, and Shopify as top Overweight picks for the AI era. The report notes that over the past two

According to Investegate RNS announcement on July 21, Satsuma shareholders voted 90.6% in favor of liquidating the London-listed bitcoin treasury company and selling its 668 bitcoin holdings. The company targets a delisting around September 14 and shareholder distributions by September 28. Satsuma

Japan's June unadjusted merchandise trade balance came in at ¥406.9 billion deficit, missing economist expectations of ¥98.4 billion and widening from May's ¥378.6 billion shortfall.

Japan's imports rose 25.4% year-over-year in June, exceeding the forecast of 20% and accelerating from the previous month's 12.5% increase.

Alphabet will announce its Q2 earnings on July 22 (local time), marking the start of Big Tech's earnings season that investors expect could determine whether global semiconductor stocks rebound from recent sharp declines. Microsoft and Meta follow on the 29th, with Amazon reporting on the 30th.

Japan's merchandise exports grew 19.3% year-over-year in June, exceeding the forecast of 18.6%. The prior month's figure was revised downward to 16.8% from the initially reported 17.0%.

Woori Financial Group filed a securities registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a comprehensive stock swap with Dongyang Life, according to financial sector sources on the 22nd. The filing was necessary because some of Woori Financial's shares are listed on t

According to South Korea's legal community, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Financial Services Commission classified the Middle East conflict as a force majeure event in April, affecting raw material supply chains. Legal experts argue the same rationale should extend to the

Korea Growth Finance Investment Management received applications from 33 asset management companies for the second round of the National Participation Growth Fund trustee recruitment, which closed on the 20th, according to the company on the 22nd. This represents an increase of 9 companies

Daewoo E&C's stock price rose following overseas contract wins in nuclear power and other sectors, but securities firms analyze that the housing business remains the primary earnings driver. The construction company is forecast to achieve Q2 operating profit of 165.9 billion won, double the

According to South Korea's financial authorities, Woori Financial submitted a 665-page securities filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 22 regarding its comprehensive share exchange with Dongyang Life. The filing details the transaction structure, investor disclosures, and fi