Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 24, the U.S. Treasury's decision to expand long-dated bond buybacks from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation (effective Sep. 9 through Nov. 4) amounts to price management rather than

According to the Financial Supervisory Service, South Korean companies' direct financing rose 373% month-over-month in July 2026. IPO activity declined compared to June, while equity offerings and other direct financing methods increased significantly during the

Grayscale's Zcash ETF, trading under ticker ZCSH, began trading on NYSE Arca on Tuesday (Aug 25). The conversion from the predecessor Zcash Trust marks completion of the long-anticipated shift from over-the-counter trading to exchange listing. By Tuesday evening, ZEC had retreated to around $780,

The US Consumer Confidence Index fell to 89.4 in August, down from 90.8 in July and below the consensus forecast of 90.3, as reported by The Conference Board. The decline was driven by a 5.8-point drop in the Expectations Index to 68.2, reflecting consumer pessimism about future business and labor c

According to The Conference Board, the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index fell to 89.4 in August, down 1.4 points from July's 90.8 and below the consensus forecast of 90.3. The decline was driven by a sharp drop in the Expectations Index to 68.2, reflecting increased consumer pessimism about future

New York crude oil prices fell sharply for the second consecutive day on the 25th as signs emerged of easing military tensions between the United States and Iran. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for October delivery dropped $2.65 (3.12%) to close at $82.36 per barrel on the New York Mercantile

The Korean stock market experienced heightened volatility this year as exchange-traded funds surpassed traditional mutual funds in assets, according to data from Korea Exchange. KOSPI recorded daily price swings exceeding 3% on 60 out of 158 trading days this year, representing 37.9% of sessions, co

Korean retail investors purchased $891.15 million of the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF (SOXL) during the week of 18-24th, the highest net purchase among all US stocks. The buying followed confirmation of AI infrastructure investment expansion and price declines that created low-entry

Yearimdang acquired 90% of Future Hitech for 33.95 billion won, disclosed on the 26th. The publisher of the 'Why?' series used cash from selling T'way Holdings to Sono Trinity Group for 212.4 billion won. Future Hitech makes HBM burn-in tester motherboards, with first-half revenue of 21.6 billion wo

SK Hynix demonstrated the effectiveness of share buyback and cancellation as securities firms search for similar opportunities in Korean stocks. After announcing a massive buyback plan on the 19th, SK Hynix purchased

South Korean retail investors purchased $712.91 million of a 3x leveraged US semiconductor ETF from the 17th to 24th of this month, ahead of NVIDIA's earnings report scheduled for the 26th, according to Korea Securities Depository data. The buying spree, which also included memory semiconductor

According to Bloomberg consensus data, Nvidia will report fiscal Q2 2027 results on August 27 at 6 a.m. Korea time, with market expectations of $92 billion in revenue and $2.09 earnings per share. On August 24, Nvidia closed at $208.48 on the New York Stock Exchange, declining 2.91% from the

According to Korea Exchange data, on August 25, South Korea's KOSPI index experienced heightened volatility as exchange-traded fund assets reached 450 trillion won, fundamentally reshaping the market structure. Daily swings of 3% or more occurred on 60 trading days in 2026 year-to-date, compared to

According to the Financial Supervisory Service, Yerim Dang, a South Korean publisher known for the "Why?" book series, acquired a 90% stake in Future Hi-Tech, a semiconductor testing equipment manufacturer, for 33.95 billion Korean won on August 26. The acquisition represents 13.27% of Yerim Dang's

According to Korea Securities Depository's data portal Saevro, South Korean individual investors purchased $891.15 million worth of SOXL (Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x ETF) during the week of August 18-24, marking the top net inflow for the period. This exceeded the combined purchases of

According to Seoul Economic citing data from Korea Securities Depository portal Saevro, on August 24, South Korean investors increased their bets on U.S. semiconductor and technology stocks ahead of Nvidia's earnings announcement scheduled for August 26. From August 17 to 24, domestic investors

According to Newsis, on August 24-27, SK Hynix shares surged 11.9% over four trading days following announcement of a major share buyback plan. The company disclosed plans to repurchase and cancel shares worth approximately 40 trillion Korean won, representing 3.3% of outstanding shares. The buyback

The Bank of Korea announced on the 26th that the Corporate Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) for all industries reached 99.6 in August, up 1.1 points from the previous month and marking the highest level since September 2022. The improvement was driven by gains in both

On Tuesday, Aug 25 at New York close (04:59 Wednesday Beijing time), offshore Chinese yuan (CNH) appreciated to 6.7173 against the US dollar, up 45 points from Monday's close. The pair traded within a range of 6.7263-6.7161 during the session, approaching February 2023 highs

According to South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC), corporate fundraising through equity offerings and initial public offerings (IPOs) dropped sharply year-to-date in 2026. Equity offering volumes fell to less than half of 2025 levels, while IPO fundraising declined by roughly 50%,