Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

The People's Bank of China conducted a 224 billion yuan 7-day reverse repo operation today (July 13), with an interest rate of 1.40% remaining unchanged from the previous operation. Both the tender and successful bid amounts were 224 billion yuan.

According to Bloomberg, global funds sold South Korean bonds on July 13 at volumes not seen in nearly three months, signaling reduced risk appetite among overseas investors in the Korean bond market.

According to Barclays on July 13, inflation forecasts have deteriorated despite oil prices falling sharply from peaks during Iran conflicts. The bank said the Federal Reserve's policy path of maintaining steady rates rather than raising them has narrowed significantly in recent months, though this r

According to Jinlianhuangrun, China's gasoline and diesel are expected to rise by 5 yuan per ton on July 13, with a change rate of 0.14% and reference crude oil at $73.56 per barrel. The next price adjustment window closes on July 17 at 24:00.

According to China's interbank foreign exchange market data released on July 13, the USD/CNY mid-price dropped 17 basis points to 6.7972, reflecting yuan strength. EUR/CNY declined sharply by 312 points to 7.7400, while GBP/CNY fell 307 points to 9.0850 and CHF/CNY dropped 386 points to

According to a report released by East China Securities on July 13, Chinese insurers are shifting their long-bond allocation strategy from extending duration to optimizing asset structure. The report notes that while long-duration bonds remain core to insurer asset portfolios, simply extending

The KOSPI stock index entered a technical bear market on July 13, falling 22.0% from its June 19 intraday high of 9385.59 to an intraday low of 7317 in approximately three weeks. A technical bear market is generally defined as a decline of 20% or more from recent highs. Korean securities firms are c

According to an official announcement, Basic Semiconductor (stock code 09971) will adjust prices for certain products beginning Q3 2026, with increases up to 25%. The Hong Kong-listed chipmaker said the adjustment reflects cost changes, market conditions, and strategic operational considerations to

According to Newsis, South Korea's KOSPI index plunged to 7,317 on July 13 from a recent high of 9,385.59, entering technical bear market territory with a 22% drop over three weeks. The decline is particularly steep at the stock level, with 89% of KOSPI 200 components falling over 30% from their

South Korean credit market participants are observing buying activity in 1- to 2-year bonds despite credit spreads reaching record highs, raising expectations that the market may stabilize in the near term. The Bank of Korea is widely expected to begin raising its base rate this month with a

Twenty-eight executives from companies comprising the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) purchased their own company shares over the past 6 months, according to SentimentTrader on local time. This represents a record high for insider buying activity and is double the number from

According to Yonhap Infomax, on July 13, South Korea's credit spreads (credit spreads over benchmark rates) reached record highs, but short-term buying demand has begun to emerge as market participants expect the central bank to limit the number of interest rate hikes in this cycle to around four.

SK Hynix stocks fell 6.19% to 2,045,000 won as of 9:46 AM on July 13, extending losses from an initial 3% decline at market open. The drop followed Korea Investment & Securities' downward revision of the company's Q2 2026 operating profit estimate to 60.4 trillion won, approximately 8% below market

According to SentimentTrader, 28 executives at companies that comprise the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) repurchased their own shares over the past six months, marking a record high and double the level from earlier in 2026. The buyback surge coincides with declines in many major tech

According to Chuangyuan Futures, over the weekend (July 11-12), US-Iran tensions escalated around the Strait of Hormuz with multiple military strikes and attacks on oil infrastructure. The US launched its third and fourth rounds of strikes against Iran on July 11-12, while Iran retaliated with attac

According to Newsis, shares of Han Sung Corp and Monami surged on July 9-10 as retail investors engaged in "patriotic buying" to prevent the stationery and seafood processing companies from delisting. Han Sung's stock hit the daily price limit on consecutive days, while Monami jumped 24.69% and 25.6

The Seoul bond market is forecast to weaken on July 13 as investors digest a 2.8 trillion won 10-year treasury auction amid heightened geopolitical risks in the Middle East. The US Central Command announced additional airstrikes in the Hormuz Strait at 6am Korean time on the 13th, targeting

Berkshire Hathaway underperformed the S&P 500 index by 12.4 percentage points in the first half of 2026, with its Class B stock declining 1.8% year-to-date while the benchmark index gained 10.7%. The value investing firm struggled as artificial intelligence and large technology stocks drove market g

Bitcoin experienced volatile fluctuations around $64,000 on July 13; according to Onchain Lens monitoring, a Bitcoin whale address that had been dormant for seven years moved 2,931 BTC (approximately $188 million) to a new address. The escalation of the Iran–U.S. conflict over the Strait of Hormuz continued on Sunday: Iran again announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, expanding the strike range to Qatar and the UAE, while the United States carried out a new round of airstrikes against Ira

Shanghai Gold Exchange's gold T+D contract fell 1.17% to 888.13 yuan per gram on Monday morning, while its silver T+D contract declined 2.08% to 14,331.0 yuan per kilogram.