Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to the University of Michigan, U.S. consumer confidence rose to 54.4 in July (released today, July 17), up from 49.5 in June, exceeding economist expectations of 51.0. The surge was driven primarily by declining gasoline prices, which eased household living cost pressures. The one-year

According to Odaily and MSX.COM data, the U.S. storage chip sector continued to rise on July 17. SK Hynix jumped over 8%, SanDisk gained more than 4%, and Micron Technology advanced over 3%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, which had plunged 5.6% earlier, narrowed losses to

According to inflation data released in June 2026, US Consumer Price Index fell 0.4% month-over-month—the first monthly decline in six years—with headline inflation easing to 3.5% from 4.2%. Core CPI annual rate declined to 2.6%. Following the disinflationary print, Fed rate hike odds for July fell

Tom Lee and Peter Brandt predict the S&P 500 will reach 8,000 by the end of 2026. Lee forecasts a three-stage path: the index moves toward 7,700, pulls back 10-15%, then rallies above 8,000 into year-end, supported by stronger earnings and improving valuations. Brandt's technical analysis shows an a

According to Bloomberg, Ghana is preparing to significantly shorten mining lease renewal periods to a maximum of 10 years from the current 30 years, with the legislative proposal expected to be submitted to parliament within weeks. The cabinet has already approved the mining law overhaul, marking th

According to BlockBeats, Serenity's investment portfolio experienced a drawdown of -49.4% in July, with major holdings concentrated in memory, photonics, robotics, and upstream semiconductor sectors, which Serenity identifies as AI bottleneck areas. Serenity attributes the decline to liquidity and l

From 15:45 to 16:00 (UTC) on July 17, 2026, BTC rose 0.39% within 15 minutes, hitting a price range of 63,142.2–63,450.6 USDT and an amplitude of 0.49%. Despite a modest short-term rebound, over the past 24 hours BTC has fallen from the $64,900.7 high to around $63,372.4, marking a cumulative drop of about 1.91% and suggesting an overall mild pullback. Market attention is high, volatility has increased, but candlestick trading volume is low (178.25 BTC/hour). The order book depth is extremely sh

According to ARK Invest's Q2 2026 Bitcoin report released on July 18, bitcoin declined approximately 14% during the second quarter. Despite price pressure, long-term holders (LTH) continued accumulating, raising their holdings to a record high of approximately 14.85 million BTC, absorbing tokens rel

Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML will grant all global employees a one-time stock award of 20,000 euros (approximately $22,862) on January 1, 2027, provided they remain employed through the full vesting period, which will be completed by early 2030. The move follows surging sales driven by a

According to Bloomberg, Zhongji Innolight received approval from China's securities regulator and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on July 17 to proceed with a Hong Kong IPO. The optical module manufacturer plans to raise up to $8 billion, positioning the listing among the largest IPO cases in H

Semiconductor stocks declined Friday as the VanEck Semiconductor ETF briefly entered bear market territory, falling 20% from its recent high, while Apple briefly surpassed Nvidia as the world's most valuable company following an HSBC

According to BIT market data, SK Hynix ADR led AI stocks with a gain exceeding 7% to $164 on July 18. Micron, Dell, and Marvell also advanced, up 3.63%, 1.47%, and 0.96% respectively. CPO and storage-related stocks rebounded in tandem, with Lite and SanDisk rising 4.44% and 5.87%.

HSBC upgraded Apple to buy on Friday and raised its price target to $366 from $260, citing the potential of Apple Intelligence upgrades and new AI features that could drive a major upgrade cycle. The firm said Apple can benefit from AI without the heavy capital spending weighting on hyperscalers. HS

US Treasury bond prices rallied across maturities during the trading session, with the 10-year Treasury yield falling 5.40 basis points to 4.514% as of 9:37 AM Eastern Time. The bond market rally was driven by intensified risk-aversion sentiment as the US-Iran military conflict escalated and US

According to Yonhapinfomax, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 5.40 basis points to 4.514% on July 17 (U.S. Eastern time, 9:37 a.m.), as risk-averse sentiment intensified amid escalating U.S.-Iran military conflict. The 2-year yield declined 3.40bp to 4.122%. U.S. equity markets plunged, with the

On Friday (July 17), ICE UK natural gas futures surged 5.58% to 140.170 pence/therm, with weekly cumulative gains reaching 19.61% since the rebound from June 25. TTF benchmark Dutch natural gas futures rose 5.01% to 57.935

IBM shares fell nearly 24% this week, heading for their worst single-week decline since 1968, after the company warned of weaker-than-expected performance in its mainframe business during preliminary second-quarter results. Citi analyst Fatima Boolani cut her price target on IBM to $255 from $375 w

According to a CNBC poll released recently, 61% of Americans expressed pessimism about economic prospects and current conditions, marking the highest level since December 2023, while only about one-quarter held optimistic views. The survey found that 60% of respondents disapprove of President

According to Trump's financial disclosure filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, as analyzed by Reuters, the U.S. president earned over $1.4 billion last year from his family's crypto projects, including World Liberty Financial and Trump meme coin. The analysis also revealed that Trump