Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

U.S. housing starts surged 19% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.47 million units, rebounding from May's six-year low of 1.20 million units, the Commerce Department announced on Friday. The recovery exceeded economists' forecasts of 1.31 million units, yet gold prices remained

According to Kitco News, citing Commerce Department data announced Friday, U.S. housing starts surged 19% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.47 million units, significantly exceeding economist expectations of 1.31 million units. However, building permits fell 3% to 1.37 million units,

South Korean investors redirected holiday spending from travel and shopping to stock investments during the first half of the year, according to financial sector data. The five major banks reported 3,077,529 early terminations of individual customer savings and deposits in the first half, an 11.39%

According to Benzinga, Micron Technology (MU) and SanDisk (SNDK) have plunged this month to become among the cheapest AI stocks in the Nasdaq-100 index, with forward price-to-earnings ratios of 6.2x and 8.1x, respectively. Micron dropped 23.3% in July and is heading toward its worst monthly

Semiconductor stocks in South Korea's KOSDAQ market increased 88% in the top 100 companies by market capitalization over one year, rising from 17 companies in late July last year to 32 companies this month. This year through the 16th, KOSPI rose while KOSDAQ fell on 32 out of 132 trading days,

According to Yonhapnews, semiconductor and related equipment companies in KOSDAQ's top 100 by market capitalization surged to 32 as of July 14, up from 17 a year earlier, marking an 88% increase. Meanwhile, biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical equipment firms showed little change, with 11, 9, and 8

SK Hynix's American Depositary Receipt (ADR) began trading on Nasdaq on the 10th (local time), drawing praise from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang who called the listing 'incredibly successful.' The ADR allows global investors to trade SK Hynix shares without navigating complex procedures required for

According to Dailyian, SK Hynix's American Depositary Receipt (ADR) debuted on Nasdaq on July 10 (local time), closing up 13.1% from its IPO price of $149 to $168.49, with an intraday high of $177. The listing improved investor accessibility to the South Korean chipmaker and is expected to expand

iShares Silver Trust, the world's largest silver ETF, increased its holdings by 67.49 tons on July 17, bringing total holdings to 15,061.32 tons.

According to Yonhapnews, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on July 15 directed the government to introduce corrective measures for single-stock leveraged exchange-traded products (ETFs and ETNs) linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, citing a monthly average decline of 47% in leveraged

According to CME FedWatch tool data reported by Jin10 on July 17, the Federal Reserve has an 85.6% probability of maintaining interest rates unchanged in July, with a 14.4% probability of a 25 basis point rate

The U.S. dollar declined on the week ending July 17, as cooler inflation data tempered market expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate increases. The Dollar Index (DXY) closed slightly unchanged on Friday at 100.77, posting a weekly loss of 0.2%. Latest U.S. economic reports showed easing

According to Iran's state television, two tankers exploded and caught fire after transiting a mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported. The incident occurred on a shipping lane in the region, according to the official

According to the New York Mercantile Exchange, on July 17, crude oil prices surged over 4% as military tensions between the U.S. and Iran intensified. WTI August delivery climbed $3.54 to $82.49 per barrel, up 4.48%, while Brent September delivery rose $3.87 to $88.10 per barrel, up 4.59%. The

Gold futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's COMEX division rose 0.59% on the 17th at 2:53 PM US Eastern Time, with the August delivery contract (GCQ6) trading at $4,015.60 per troy ounce, up $23.50 from the previous settlement price of $3,992.10. The price increase reflected safe-haven

According to COMEX data reported by Yonhapinfomax, gold futures (GCQ6) for August delivery rose $23.50, or 0.59%, to $4,015.60 per troy ounce on July 17 (U.S. Eastern time). The rally was driven by safe-haven demand as U.S. stocks tumbled, particularly semiconductor shares amid concerns that China's

On Friday, July 17, at U.S. market close, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell 0.59 basis points to 4.5474%, with trading in a range of 4.6338%–4.5094%. Week-to-date, the yield declined 1.38 basis points. The 2-year Treasury yield rose 3.58 basis points to 4.1767%, declining 3.13 basis points f

Bank of America appointed Sonali Theisen as head of its global digital assets platform and Kevin Milsom as head of AI transformation, according to internal memos first reported by Reuters and Bloomberg. The appointments follow a trend of traditional financial institutions building specialized

According to Reuters and Bloomberg, Bank of America appointed Sonali Theisen as head of global digital assets and Kevin Milsom as head of AI transformation on July 17. Theisen will oversee the design, development and governance of the bank's digital-assets platform while collaborating with Adam