Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

South Korea's Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) announced on July 14 that it will raise minimum deposit requirements for leveraged ETF trading. Currently, investors must maintain a minimum deposit of 5 million to 10 million Korean won or more in their brokerage accounts depending on

According to Ned Davis Research, the S&P 500 is expected to experience volatility through mid-August 2026 before rallying in October, according to the firm's multi-cycle model cited by strategist Ed Clissold in a recent client report covered by Business Insider. The index has already pulled back

Seven KOSPI-listed stocks with English names starting with 'S' — Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, SK Square, Samsung Electronics Preferred, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung C&T — saw their combined market capitalization share rise from 40.15% at year-end to 62.31% by

According to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing disclosure on July 14, Jinan Jianbang Metallic Materials (formerly Jianbang Materials Limited) submitted an application for listing on the HKEx main board, with China International Capital Corporation (CICC) serving as the sole sponsor. This marks the co

According to Barron's, Micron Technology stock rose 4.9% to $983.12 on Tuesday, July 14, after KeyBanc analyst John Vinh upgraded the company's price target to $1,750 from $1,600. The new target, based on a visit to the supply chain in Asia, implies approximately 87% upside potential from Monday's c

KB Securities maintained its buy rating and 420 million won target price for SK Hynix stocks on January 15, forecasting that memory supply shortages driven by artificial intelligence datacenter investment expansion will continue until at least 2028. Research Head Kim Dong-won stated the recent stock

According to Bloomberg, SK Hynix ADR on July 14 surged 27%, erasing the previous session's 9.3% decline and reaching a 51% premium over the company's Korean ordinary shares. The dramatic expansion from just 3% premium at the $26.5 billion ADR offering last week reflects strong investor demand

According to Korea Economic TV, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs reported second-quarter earnings that beat expectations on July 13. Investment banking fees across major U.S. banks surged 30% year-over-year, driven by a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions as c

According to KB Securities, on July 15, the brokerage maintained its buy rating and target price of 4.2 million KRW for SK Hynix (000660), citing expectations that memory chip supply shortages will persist at least until 2028 due to expanding AI data center investments. Kim Dong-won, head of KB Secu

According to Odaily, three publicly listed bitcoin miners—CleanSpark, BitFuFu, and Canaan—disclosed June operations data showing production declines across the board. CleanSpark produced 614 BTC in June, down from 671 BTC in May; BitFuFu output 125 BTC versus 177 BTC previously; Canaan produced 64 B

According to Yonhap Infomax, the U.S. dollar index declined 0.345 points (0.341%) to 100.934 on July 14 afternoon (U.S. Eastern time), after June consumer prices fell 0.4% against expectations of a 0.1% decline. The dollar initially plunged as U.S. 2-year Treasury yields dropped over 10 basis points

Rio Tinto produced 83.49 million tons of Pilbara iron ore in Q2, with shipments reaching 85.30 million tons, exceeding analyst expectations of 83.13 million tons. Copper production for the quarter came in at 213,200 tons. The company maintained full-year guidance, projecting total iron ore sales of

According to ZhiTong Finance, on Tuesday, the Hang Seng Index ADR rose to 24,404.89 points, up 0.26% or 64.16 points from Hong Kong close. HSBC Holdings ADR climbed 1.95% to 157.583 Hong Kong dollars, while Tencent Holdings ADR gained 0.23% to 457.265 Hong Kong dollars.

According to Zhitong Finance, the Hang Seng Index bull-bear street warrant ratio reached 49:51 as of July 15. Bear warrants showed heaviest concentration in the 24,500-24,599 strike zone with 651 contracts, down 124 from the prior trading day. Bull warrants concentrated in the 23,600-23,699 zone wi

According to Zhitong Finance, on July 15, Hang Seng Index July futures closed at 24,400 points, up 44 points or 0.181%, trading at a 59-point premium. Open interest totaled 130,332 contracts, down 12,799 from the previous session, while net open interest stood at 51,771 contracts, down 554.

According to the International Maritime Organization, two UAE-flagged oil tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on the morning of July 14, resulting in 2 deaths and 14 injuries. The two ultra-large crude carriers, operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, were transiting the strait when th

According to CME FedWatch on July 15, the Federal Reserve has an 84.5% probability of holding interest rates unchanged in July, with a 15.5% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike. For September, market expectations show a 42.2% probability of rates remaining unchanged, a 50% probability of a

The KOSPI index closed 49.90 points (0.73%) higher at 6856.83 on the 14th following extreme volatility, as reported by Financial News with imagery from Yonhap News showing staff at Hana Bank's dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul. The modest gain occurred amid a 27 trillion KRW withdrawal from investor de

According to Yonhapnews, South Korea's KOSPI index rose 49.90 points (0.73%) to 6,856.83 on July 14, amid extreme market volatility. Retail investors withdrew 27 trillion won from deposit accounts, marking the largest outflow since the COVID-19

Polymarket launched a prediction contract on June 29, 2026, asking whether the US Treasury will conduct an official blockchain transaction by December 31, 2026, excluding pilots or proof-of-concept experiments. The contract's emergence follows concrete institutional milestones: Tradeweb completed a