Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

A Japan Bitcoin ETF bill cleared a major committee in the country's Upper House on July 15, as Bitcoin and Ethereum prices jumped following cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation data. The proposal would classify cryptocurrencies as financial instruments under the Financial Instruments and Exchange

According to News1, Samsung Electronics' foreign shareholding fell to 46.58% on July 15, marking the lowest level since July 2009, down from 52.3% at the start of 2026. The company's lending balance also declined by 6.5% (₩1.525 trillion) from July 1 to July 14, according to the Korea Financial

BASF reported second-quarter sales of €17.2 billion, exceeding market expectations of €16.38 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached €2.4 billion, surpassing the €2.11 billion estimate. The company raised its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance to €6.9 billion to €7.7 billion, with the marke

SK Hynix stock recently declined, prompting investors to circulate a '3 million won Hynix bingo card' meme outlining 9 conditions required for the stock to return to 3 million won. TSMC reports earnings on the 16th, with market participants viewing the results as a key test of AI demand

According to Seoul's bond market data on July 15, interest rate swap (IRS) rates fell across the board. The 1-year IRS rate declined 1.50 basis points to 3.46%, while the 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year rates dropped 3.00bp, 2.00bp, 1.25bp to 4.0525%, and 0.75bp to 4.1525%, respectively. A

According to Yonhapinfomax, the US dollar fell to 1,484.70 Korean won on Wednesday (July 15), declining 8.30 won from the previous close and marking the lowest level since May 11. The weakness was driven by a softer US dollar trend globally—June US CPI came in below

According to Seoul Economic Daily, TSMC will release Q2 earnings on July 16, marking a critical test for sustained AI investment momentum. SK Hynix shares have fallen sharply, with investors debating conditions for recovery to 3 million Korean won. Analysts are divided on outlook: Korean

According to Jin10, the People's Bank of China released data on July 15 showing that yuan loan balances reached 282.63 trillion yuan at the end of June, growing 5.2% year-over-year. The central bank's data also reflected a significant shift in China's

According to Mitsubishi UFJ Bank analyst Derek Halpenny, reported by Jin10 on July 15, if the Bank of Canada signals a pause in rate hikes, the Canadian dollar may depreciate. Halpenny expects the central bank to release guidance indicating rates will remain unchanged, contradicting market pricing f

Economist Yoon Ji-ho presented three investment strategies for the second half of the year at a special lecture held on the 4th at the Maeil Business Newspaper Media Center. Yoon recommended allocating 50% of portfolios to semiconductors, maintaining cash reserves, and managing volatility rather

According to an insider, AI cloud computing company CoreWeave is exploring financial derivatives as hedging tools against future memory and storage chip price declines. CoreWeave and other cloud providers have signed long-term supply contracts

According to ECB economists on July 15, geopolitical uncertainty and trade tensions reduced credit demand among eurozone exporters while tightening lending standards. Economists including Petra Köhler-Ulbrich noted that European automakers faced the most severe impact from tariffs, encountering

SpaceX and South Korean space-themed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded significant losses during the week of July 10-15, with six Korean space ETFs experiencing net outflows of 662 billion won. KODEX US Space Aviation fell 8.91%, ranking 828th out of 830 equity ETFs, while ACE US Space Tech

According to Zhitong Finance app, Hang Seng Index July futures opened at 24,660 points on July 15 and rose to 24,706 points (up 49 points or 0.199%) by 5:15 PM Beijing time, trading at a 25-point premium.

According to Seoul Economic Daily, Korean space-focused ETFs tracking SpaceX posted the worst performance among 830 equity ETFs during the week of July 10-15, with KODEX U.S. Aerospace declining 8.91% to rank 828th. Six space ETFs combined saw net outflows of 66.2 billion Korean won, as SpaceX

According to the financial investment industry in South Korea, on July 10, when SK Hynix debuted its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on Nasdaq, retail investors made net purchases worth approximately 300 billion Korean won through nine major domestic brokerages including Mirae Asset

Samsung Active Asset Management, NH Amundi Asset Management, KB Asset Management, and Kiwoom Investment Asset Management launched AI infrastructure exchange-traded funds on May 14 on the Korea Exchange. The four Korean Stocks ETFs focus on optical communications and physical AI investments as AI

IBM shares rose 0.7% in premarket trading on Wednesday, recovering a fraction of the previous day's record losses after the company issued weak preliminary second-quarter results. The technology firm cited a faster-than-expected shift in client spending from software to AI servers as the primary

IBM shares rose 0.7% in premarket trading on Wednesday following weak preliminary results, with the company expecting second-quarter revenue of $17.2 billion (up 1%) and a gross profit margin decline of 100 basis points to 57.7%. The company cited a faster-than-expected shift in client spending