Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Korea Exchange, as of July 16, KOSDAQ declined when KOSPI gained for 32 trading days this year, representing 24% of the 132 total trading days—a record high since the index launched in 1996 and 1.8 times higher than the 13% recorded in 2025. KOSDAQ closed at 791.84, down 4.53%,

According to the Financial Supervisory Service disclosure system, South Korea's Hanwha Galleria (ticker: 452260) signed contracts to acquire two Seoul properties over a two-week period. On July 14, the company purchased land in Gangnam's Sinsa district (2,749.5 square meters) for 236.7 billion

South Korea's Cash Management Account market recorded 104.066 trillion won in total balance as of May 14, according to Korea Financial Investment Association data released on May 18. The balance grew 4.1% from 100.004 trillion won on January 2, marking a 4.0656 trillion won increase over six

According to the Financial Investment Association of Korea, cumulative assets in CMA (Comprehensive Money Management Accounts) reached 104.066 trillion Korean won as of July 14, representing a 4.1% increase from 100.4 trillion won on January 2, 2026. The market expanded by 4.066 trillion won in

According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI index fell to 6,800 this week as major U.S. tech companies and SK Hynix prepare to report Q2 earnings next week. Market participants are closely monitoring whether the earnings results can ease concerns over a slowdown in artificial intelligence

Korean stock market volatility reached unprecedented levels as single-stock leveraged ETFs amplified price swings through self-reinforcing feedback loops. The VKOSPI index hit a record 97.99 on the 29th of last month and remained elevated in the 80-90 range afterward, while circuit breakers

Korean stocks inverse ETFs dominated performance rankings during a month-long market correction from June 17 to July 16, with RISE 200 Futures Inverse 2X delivering 41.10% returns. The surge in inverse ETF performance occurred as the KOSPI index fell 21.8% from 8,726.60 to 6,820.60 and KOSPI 200

According to South Korea's stock exchange, Samsung Asset Management's KODEX 200 ETF received 186.7 billion Korean won in net inflows from individual investors from July 10 to 15, marking the highest net inflows among domestic ETFs during the period. Domestic benchmark indices and U.S. benchmark ind

According to Newsis, South Korea's VKOSPI volatility index (Korea's fear gauge) reached a record intraday high of 97.99 on July 16, as single-stock leveraged ETFs triggered amplified market movements through forced rebalancing. The self-amplifying structure—where ETF managers must rebalance daily to

According to Yonhapnews, during one month of market adjustment from June 17 to July 16, South Korea's KOSPI fell 21.8% to 6,820.60, with inverse 2X ETFs dominating performance rankings. The RISE 200 Futures Inverse 2X ETF recorded the highest return at 41.10%, tracking double the daily decline of th

According to Barron's, SK Hynix ADR rose 1.1% to $154.03 on Friday (July 17), outperforming its main U.S. competitor Micron Technology, which fell 0.5%. The gain likely reflected South Korea's Constitution Day holiday, which closed Seoul markets for the day, allowing U.S. investors to position in SK

Gold futures declined 0.15% to close at $4063.42 per ounce on local time May 15, marking approximately 24% below the January 29 peak of $5354.8 per ounce. The decline followed rising US 10-year TIPS rates, which increased from 1.7% to 2.2% since March, and a strengthening dollar index that climbed f

Kim Bo-young, a senior researcher at South Korea's Capital Market Research Institute, published a report on May 18 calling for asset management companies to strengthen their stewardship activities as the country's exchange-traded fund (ETF) market reached 500 trillion won in scale. The report

Israeli payments company Nayax refused to pay a ransom demanded by hackers who stole transaction records and business documents from a cloud account linked to one of its subsidiaries. The Nasdaq- and Tel Aviv-listed company confirmed on July 14 that data had been exfiltrated, six days after first di

US stock markets declined on the 17th (local time) as semiconductor stocks faced heavy selling pressure. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 406.55 points (0.77%) to close at 52,146.42, the S&P 500 dropped 76.08 points (1.01%) to 7,457.69, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 361.70 points (1.40%) to

Korean stocks showed divergent performance through the 16th of this month, with the KOSPI small-cap index declining just 1.6% while the large-cap index plunged 20.6%, according to Korea Exchange data. The semiconductor sector's sharp downturn drove large-cap underperformance, as Samsung

The U.S. dollar declined slightly on July 17 as safe-haven demand weakened following a stabilization in technology stock sell-offs on Wall Street. The dollar exhibited a 'strong-early-weak-late' pattern, largely driven by equity market movements. According to Yonhap Infomax data at 4pm ET, the dolla

According to Korea Exchange, South Korea's large-cap stocks fell 20.6% through July 16, underperforming both the broader KOSPI index decline of 19.5% and small-cap stocks, which fell only 1.6%. Mid-cap stocks declined 6.2% over the same period, showing resilience in a weakening

According to Yonhapinfomax, the USD/JPY exchange rate fell 0.017 yen to 162.387 on July 17 (EDT) as risk sentiment recovered following an initial tech-driven selloff. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index declined 5.67% intraday before moderating to a 1.63% loss, while the Nasdaq Composite ended

According to Baker Hughes, U.S. oil rig count increased by 7 this week to 588, marking the highest level since April 2025 and the fifth consecutive week of gains. The increase brings total rigs 44 units or 8% higher than the same period last year. Oil drilling platforms specifically rose 7 to 452, t