Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Yonhapinfomax, South Korean individual investors' margin trading balances surged by 4.6 trillion won to 32.8 trillion won by August 25, as both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix announced major shareholder return plans. Samsung Electronics' margin balance increased by 1.3549 trillion wo

According to Yonhapnews Infomax, Woori Financial Group's CET1 ratio reached 13.74% in H1 2026, tying with KB Financial for the highest among Korea's four major financial groups. However, excluding the impact of land revaluation gains totaling 1.8 trillion won, the ratio would drop to 13.14%, the

Hyundai Motor stock fell 13,000 won (3.09%) to 408,000 won on the 26th despite announcing cancellation of 2,505,606 treasury shares worth 789.1 billion won. Securities analysts cited shareholder return policies below investor expectations and weakened robotics business anticipation as reasons for th

According to Korean Economic Daily, on Aug 27, Hyundai Motor announced the cancellation of 2,505,606 treasury shares worth 789.1 billion won, yet the stock declined 3.09% to close at 408,000 won. The share buyback, approved at the previous shareholders meeting, underperformed investor

According to Bloomberg, Nvidia forecast current-quarter revenue of $108 billion (plus or minus 2%) on August 26, beating the analyst average of $105.2 billion but falling short of some expectations exceeding $110 billion. For the quarter ended July 26, Nvidia reported revenue of $96.2 billion and

According to Baidu's announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company will convert its secondary listing status to primary listing effective September 1, 2026. Baidu will thereafter maintain dual primary listings on both the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. The "S" marker will be

Hanwha and Kakao stocks moved in opposite directions following their respective spin-off announcements. Hanwha stocks surged 18.2% over two days (25th-26th) after completing its spin-off on the 25th, including a 17.4% jump on that day. In contrast, Kakao stocks fell 6.1% through the 26th after annou

According to Chosun Ilbo, Hanwha's stock surged 18.2% on Aug 25-26 following completion of its spin-off, while Kakao fell 6.1% since announcing a separation plan on Aug 21. Hanwha narrowed its business structure from 11 listed subsidiaries across 9 sectors to 9 subsidiaries across 7 sectors,

According to Wall Street Journal, JPMorgan is considering developing its own stablecoin as of August 27, citing people familiar with the matter. The U.S. financial services firm currently operates JPM Coin, a blockchain-based tokenized deposit platform, but does not issue stablecoins. A JPMorgan

According to investment banking sources, Glenwood Credit offloaded its entire 6.72% stake (4.44 million shares) in Silicon Tooling today at 47,800 Korean won per share via block deal, raising approximately 210 billion won. The transaction represents a 7.7% discount to yesterday's closing price of 51

According to Bitget data, on August 27, South Korea's KOSPI index rose 2.5% in early trading, with SK Hynix gaining 5% and Samsung Electronics up 3%.

Nikkei 225 index opened higher on Thursday (Aug 27), gaining 388.48 points or 0.59% to reach 66,650.64.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix announced record-breaking shareholder return programs following their strongest quarterly earnings, but their stock prices declined significantly from June peaks. SK Hynix fell 43.5% from its June 25 high of 2,987,000 won to close at 1,688,000 won on the 26th,

Bitcoin entered a consolidation phase after briefly exceeding $80,000 on May 25, retreating to the $78,000 range as profit-taking emerged, according to the Korean crypto industry on May 27. The Fear & Greed Index, which measures crypto market sentiment, dropped 9 points to 65, remaining in 'greed' t

According to Bloomberg, gold and Bitcoin ETFs attracted a record $7 billion in combined inflows over the past five trading days (ending August 27), with the SPDR Gold ETF (GLD) receiving nearly $3.4 billion and BlackRock's Bitcoin spot ETF (IBIT) receiving $1.5 billion. Both funds ranked among the t

KB Securities projects Samsung Electronics will deliver a 'double surprise' in the second half through improved earnings and large-scale shareholder returns totaling 110 trillion won. Analyst Kim Dong-won stated the second half will mark a turning point where Samsung's profit strength levels up

According to KB Securities, Samsung Electronics is expected to deliver a "double surprise" in the second half of 2026, combining improved earnings and massive shareholder returns, the firm announced on August 27. The brokerage forecasts Samsung's Q3 operating profit will reach 111 trillion won,

According to external reports, Malaysia Derivatives Exchange crude palm oil futures are expected to decline Thursday morning, pressured by a further drop in Brent crude oil futures during Wednesday's electronic trading session and weakening export demand. Iran and Oman are engaged in negotiations

Nvidia reported second-quarter earnings Wednesday that exceeded topline expectations, sending the stock up 4% in extended trading. CFO Colette Kress projected 70% revenue growth for 2028, describing the forecast as a 'supply-constrained outlook.' Analysts on the earnings call focused on the growth p

According to Nvidia's earnings call on Wednesday, the chipmaker guided for 70% revenue growth in fiscal 2028, sending shares up 4% in extended trading. CFO Colette Kress described the outlook as "supply-constrained," with CEO Jensen Huang indicating unconstrained growth would be significantly