Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to BlockBeats, Bank of America appointed Sonali Theisen as head of its global digital assets platform and Kevin Milsom as AI transformation lead on July 18. Theisen will oversee the design, development, expansion, and governance of the bank's digital assets platform, focusing on

According to BlockBeats and analyst Serenity, Goldman Sachs on July 18 raised its price target for Zhongji Xuechuang (ZJC) to 2,581 yuan, implying 163.6% upside from current levels. The bank significantly increased its earnings forecasts for 2026, 2027, and 2028 by 65%, 108%, and 119%

The SEC and CFTC face lobbying pushback over a joint interpretive release addressing crypto commodity classification. The dispute centers on which agency should oversee key segments of the digital-asset market, a jurisdictional question that affects trading platforms, compliance obligations, and

According to MediaPen, South Korea's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate this week for the first time in 3.5 years, triggering alarm among retail investors who have taken on record leverage. Securities account lending reached approximately 62 trillion won, marking an all-time high,

Retirement account holders at Mirae Asset Securities increased their ETF investment ratios to around 50% across all age groups this year, according to an analysis of Defined Contribution (DC) and Individual Retirement Pension (IRP) accounts. The shift represents a significant change from 2024 when E

Pension funds in South Korea net purchased 100.7 billion won worth of stocks on the Korea Exchange during the week of 13-16, marking the second consecutive week of net buying focused on semiconductor stocks. The buying shift follows the National Pension Service's decision to raise its domestic stock

According to Mirae Asset Securities' analysis of its defined contribution and individual retirement plan accounts released this year, ETF investments across all age groups have surged to around 50% in 2026, up from 30-40% in 2024. The 40-year-old cohort led adoption at 60.4%, followed by those in th

According to Korea Exchange data, the National Pension Fund conducted net purchases of 107 billion won in the stock market this week (July 13-16), marking a second consecutive week of buying following 88 billion won in net purchases last week. The shift reflects eased rebalancing pressures as the

DS Investment & Securities researcher Kang Tae-ho recommended current timing as a buying opportunity for Korean defense stocks, which have shown weakness against the KOSPI index, citing expected contract momentum resuming from July. Kang stated the current valuation has entered an attractive range a

According to Serenity reported by Odaily, the analyst criticized paid technical analysis subscription services, arguing that if such firms could genuinely predict semiconductor sector crashes, they should profit from short-selling rather than rely on subscription fees. Serenity noted that using

T. Rowe Price has launched an active multi-token spot crypto exchange-traded fund on NYSE Arca, offering investors exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, and Solana within a single managed product. The launch represents a shift in institutional crypto access, moving beyond single-asset ETFs to

Japanese NAND flash manufacturer Kioxia Holdings lost a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States and was ordered to pay $229 million (approximately 340 billion KRW) in damages on the 16th (local time). US satellite communications company Viasat filed the lawsuit five years ago, claiming

According to ChainCatcher, T. Rowe Price launched actively managed multi-asset spot ETF TKNZ on NYSE Arca following SEC approval on June 12, 2026. The fund provides exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and other digital assets, with T. Rowe Price managing $1.89 trillion in client assets. As of

According to NHK, Kioxia Holdings was ordered to pay $229 million in damages on July 16 after losing a patent infringement lawsuit brought by U.S. satellite communications company ViaSat. A Texas federal jury found that some of Kioxia's flash memory products infringed ViaSat's patent related to

According to the CFTC product database, Underdog's exchange entity Aristotle Exchange DCM Inc. (operating as UDX) self-certified seven sports event-contract templates on July 15. The filings target first contract listings no later than July 17. The certifications cover three baseball and three

Apple reclaimed the top spot for global market capitalization today, overtaking Nvidia as the AI chip sector faces selling pressure. On the New York Stock Exchange, Nvidia shares fell 3.7% at market open, reducing its market cap to $480 billion, while Apple rose 0.4% to $490 billion, taking the

According to BlockBeats, on July 18, South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced a tightening of leverage ETF regulations, suspending new single-stock leverage ETF listings and raising the minimum investment requirement from 10 million won to 30 million won. The FSC also increased mi

Morgan Stanley has launched direct cryptocurrency trading on ETRADE for eligible U.S. clients, enabling them to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana within their existing brokerage accounts. The integration eliminates the need for separate exchange accounts or additional logins,

Morgan Stanley's ETRADE platform now offers direct spot trading for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana to eligible U.S. clients. The service features a flat 0.50% commission with no spreads or markups, a minimum trade of $10 and maximum of $500,000 per transaction, and 24/7 availability on web and

According to the financial sector, on July 17, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 406.55 points, or 0.77 percent. Major semiconductor companies saw sharp losses, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down for a third consecutive trading day. The selloff came as investors reacted to