Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

South Korea's KOSPI market recorded only one initial public offering through July 26, marking the lowest IPO count in 25 years since 2001. K Bank was the sole company to complete a KOSPI listing during this period, compared to five companies in the same timeframe the previous year. The sharp

SK D&D decided on a 136.7 billion won rights offering through shareholder allocation, issuing 44.681 million new common shares at 3,060 won per share. The capital raise addresses second-half liquidity pressure from 290.7 billion won in debt repayments, including 169 billion won in maturing

According to South Korea's financial authorities, the minimum deposit requirement for single-stock leverage products including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Tesla ETFs and ETNs is being increased from 10 million won to 30 million won, effective July 31. The new deposits must be held entirely in

As of July 2026, South Korea's KOSPI has recorded only one initial public offering (IPO), marking the lowest number in 25 years. The decline is attributed to the government's dual-listing restrictions (dual listing ban), implemented to protect individual investors. However, the contraction in the IP

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix adopted different communication approaches during their Q2 earnings conference calls after both reported record quarterly results. On July 31, industry observers noted Samsung provided specific numerical targets and timelines for shareholder returns, long-term

CJ CGV's Q2 operating profit is forecast to surge over 11-fold year-over-year, driven by domestic box office recovery and cost efficiency gains, according to consensus from four major Korean securities firms. Analysts project Q2 revenue of 545.8 billion won and operating profit of 20 billion won,

According to Korea Exchange, KOSPI 200 index futures closed at their daily upper limit of 937.00 on July 31 morning, gaining 69.40 points, or 8%, from the previous trading day. The surge was attributed to overnight strength in U.S. technology stocks, which boosted expectations for a domestic

Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR) reported an $8.22 billion net loss for Q2 2026 on July 30, with a diluted loss of $24.45 per share, significantly missing analyst estimates of a $2.19 per share loss. The company attributed nearly all losses to an $8.32 billion unrealized loss on its Bitcoin holdings as

South Korea launched an 880 billion KRW ultra-long-term technology investment fund with a 13-15 year lifespan at a public hearing held on the 20th at Korea Development Bank headquarters. The fund combines 680 billion KRW in public funds (600 billion from the Strategic Industry Fund and 80 billion in

According to Asia Economy, South Korea unveiled an 880 billion won ultra-long-term technology investment fund on July 20, with a 13-15 year lifespan and 7-year investment period. The fund lowered the performance fee hurdle rate from 7% to 5%, and provides additional incentives on excess returns up t

On July 30, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1.19% at 52,208.06 on the New York Stock Exchange, according to NYSE data.

Monolithic Power Systems announced second-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, with adjusted EPS of $6.50 versus the consensus of $5.87, and revenue of $980.6 million compared to the expected $903.3 million. The stock surged 10% in after-hours trading. The company raised its third-quart

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung presided over a Korea-Chile Business Roundtable on May 30 (local time) at a hotel in Santiago, joined by an economic delegation of major Korean corporate leaders. The meeting aimed to secure stable access to critical minerals like copper and lithium while

South Korea's industrial production increased 2.3% month-over-month in June, driven by strong performance in automotive and semiconductor sectors, according to data released by the National Data Office on the 31st. The growth marked a reversal after declines of 0.5% in April and 0.4% in May.

DS Investment & Securities stated on the 31st that the recent rebound in US stocks and the semiconductor sector resulted from investors shifting focus toward positive factors, diagnosing that unwinding of semiconductor short positions has begun. Analyst Yang Hyung-mo noted that despite sustained

According to Korea's National Data Processing Agency released on July 31, industrial production increased 2.3% month-over-month in June, marking a return to growth after two consecutive monthly declines in April and May. Manufacturing output rose 6.8%, with automobiles (+15.4%),

According to The Economist, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plunged 41% and 52%, respectively, since last month's peak, erasing $1.2 trillion from South Korea's market on July 29. Despite SK Hynix's quarterly operating profit surging sixfold year-over-year, investors deemed gains insufficient,

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on Thursday that Google's AI Overviews feature has created uncertainty for search-derived traffic to Reddit's platform, speaking during the company's quarterly earnings report. Huffman stated that while traditional Google search referrals have historically driven

According to CNBC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on Thursday during the company's Q2 2026 earnings call that Google's AI Overviews have created uncertainty for search-derived traffic, as the AI summaries push

According to Rinto Maruyama, senior FX and rates strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities, Japan appears to have intervened in the currency market, likely driven by a sharp rise in long-term and ultra-long-term government bond yields in both Japan and the United States. Maruyama noted that the