Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to The Fact, the Bank of Korea raised its base rate from 2.50% to 2.75% on July 16, the first increase in three and a half years. The move will increase borrowing costs for individual investors, as margin loan debt via securities accounts has reached 62 trillion won. Credit financing

NYDIG (New York Digital Investment Group) released its latest report, showing that Bitcoin is down nearly 30% year-to-date, trading at the bottom across asset classes and underperforming US Treasuries, silver, and more. The current slump is driven by supply mechanisms rather than risk sentiment; the drawdown structure from 2025 to 2026 is increasingly close to 2022. If Bitcoin’s price action fully replicates the 2022 pattern, the potential cycle low could be around $38,000 to $39,000. NYDIG’s su

According to Jin10, semiconductor stocks surged on both A-shares and Hong Kong stock markets on July 16. Chinese chipmaker SMIC (00981.HK) climbed over 2% in Hong Kong trade, while fellow Hong Kong-listed semiconductor company SambaNova (09903.HK) rose over 3%. The broader sector rally was led by st

According to Yonhapinfomax, South Korea's government bond futures strengthened on July 16, tracking gains in overnight U.S. Treasury yields. The 3-year contract rose 7 ticks to 102.88, while the 10-year contract gained 12 ticks to 105.30 as of 9:03 a.m. Seoul time. U.S. Producer Price Index data re

According to Yonhap Infomax, the US dollar-Korean won spot rate in the Seoul foreign exchange market was quoted at +0.05 Korean won as of the morning of July 16. Meanwhile, the non-deliverable forward (NDF) fixing position remained neutral, indicating balanced positioning among regional market

On July 16, RoboStrategy, a closed-end investment company focused on robotics and physical AI, completed a private equity offering, raising approximately $16 million. According to the official announcement, the company issued 450,684 shares at a weighted average price of $35.50 per share. CEO

ASML reported impressive earnings and guidance on July 15, but during the earnings call, ASML CFO Roger Dassen disclosed that memory customers are using EUV lithography machines to significantly boost the efficiency of existing production lines. This could increase supply without adding large-scale capacity—raising market concerns about downward pressure on memory prices. Micron Technology (MU) shares immediately fell 8.02%. Key takeaways from ASML’s earnings call: EUV efficiency gains could inc

SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics single-stock leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds recorded losses exceeding 40% between May 27 and the 15th, significantly outpacing the underlying stocks' declines of 7.2% and 9.0% respectively. The outsized losses stem from the ETFs' daily reset structure, w

According to commodity futures analysts, COMEX gold fell 0.07% to close at $4,066.9 per ounce on July 15, while Shanghai gold futures rose 0.03% to 887.42 yuan per gram. The moves reflected mixed signals from U.S. inflation data and escalating Middle East tensions. U.S. producer prices fell 0.3% mo

According to Seoul Economic, on July 16, South Korean shipbuilder stocks gained strength as President Donald Trump signaled potential cooperation with Korean firms. Hanwha Ocean (042660) rose 1.46% to 83,200 won, while

On July 16, 2026 (Beijing time), shares of BlackRock (NYSE: BLK), the world’s largest asset manager, closed at $1,093.40. The stock rose by $67.96 on the day, a gain of 6.63%. Trading volume surged from 719,100 shares in the prior session to 1,416,515 shares. The jump turned BLK’s performance for the year from negative to positive, but its cumulative gain of 2.9% since the start of the year still trails the S&P 500’s 10.5% gain over the same period. A nearly 7% single-d

According to the Korean Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, the exercise of rights on equity-linked securities in the first half of 2026 surpassed 3.24 trillion won. The Korea Securities Depository announced the figure on July 16. The H1 total rose 21.7% from 2.66 trillion won in the previous h

According to Bank of America, on Tuesday (July 16), the stock market is showing warning signals similar to those preceding the dotcom bubble. The bank identified a significant divergence: individual stock volatility is rising while overall market volatility remains subdued. Data from the Chicago

Nouriel Roubini, the New York University professor known as 'Dr. Doom' for predicting the 2008 global financial crisis, warned on July 15 (local time) that inflation remains the biggest risk factor in financial markets and US 10-year Treasury yields could approach 8%.

The Bank of Korea raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 2.75% on May 16, marking the first monetary tightening since January 2023. State Street's Dweefor Evans, Head of Market Asia-Pacific Macro Strategy, noted the move was widely anticipated by markets, with investor

According to Business Insider, on July 15, economist Nouriel Roubini warned that U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation could rise to 5-6% due to structural factors, significantly above the June rate of 3.5%. The "Dr. Doom" economist cited geopolitical tensions, particularly the U.S.-Iran

On July 15, a report cited by overseas media said that Stripe, the highest-valued private payments company in the world, has teamed up with private equity giant Advent International to make an acquisition offer to PayPal: $60.50 per share, valuing PayPal at more than $53 billion. This represents a premium of about 28% over PayPal’s Tuesday closing price, backed by financing commitments of about $50 billion from multiple banks. Key Terms of the Acquisition Offer: $60.50 per Share, $53 Billion Val

According to Citrini Research, the market research firm predicted on July 16 that global DRAM shortage will reach 28.7EB by 2030, accounting for 18% of total demand versus current global capacity of about 40EB. By 2030, global DRAM (including HBM) demand is forecast at 157.5EB against supply of

Edge AI stocks surged today (July 16) on Chinese A-share exchanges, with Zhidu Share hitting its daily price limit for a second consecutive day. Green Precision, Fuday Electronics, Guoguang Electric, and Furong Technology also hit limit-up status, while Haosheng Electronics, Huiwei Intelligence,

According to South Korea's Financial Services Commission, Chair Lee Eok-won announced on July 16 that the government would introduce supplementary measures for single-stock leveraged ETFs. Speaking on a radio program, Lee stated the measures would address concerns about the products' potential