Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Foreign and retail investors in South Korea took opposing ETF strategies from May 1–23, with foreign buyers concentrating on leveraged products while retail investors bet on market declines through inverse ETFs. Foreign investors net purchased 214.4 billion won of KODEX Leverage, which tracks

According to F&Guide data, K-beauty companies' stock target prices surged over the past three months (June 22–Sept 22) as export growth remained strong. Kolmar's target price jumped nearly 40% to 172,020 won, while

According to eNguide, South Korean beauty company target prices jumped as much as 40% over three months through September 27 amid robust export growth. Korean Colmar's target price surged from 121,789 won to 170,200 won, while CosMax rose 22.89% to 306,737 won and CosmeKa gained 15.45% to 135,200 wo

According to F&Guide, over the past three months through September 22, earnings outlooks for major Korean listed companies diverged sharply due to fluctuations in oil prices and exchange rates. Refining and airline sectors benefited significantly, while petrochemicals and power utilities faced

According to Daishin Securities, the KODEX200 ETF, which tracks South Korea's top 200 large-cap stocks, surged to 109,285 won on September 20 from 60,460 won on January 2, delivering an 80.76% year-to-date return. By contrast, one-year fixed deposits at major South Korean banks averaged

South Korean financial authorities are considering expanding the supply of fixed-rate policy loans, including Bogeumjari Loan and Didimdol Loan, to address the concentration of variable-rate lending in the market. According to financial authorities on the 27th, the Financial Services Commission is d

On Saturday, Michael Saylor, executive chairman of MicroStrategy, outlined a 'bill of digital rights' for the digital economy, proposing five fundamental freedoms: the rights to create and issue digital assets, to hold or custody them, to transfer them, and to use them for spending, investment, or b

According to Financial Times, foreign investors' net purchases of U.S. stocks and funds reached $942 billion in the 12 months through July 26, marking the highest single-year inflow since the U.S. Treasury began tracking the data in 1985. In the second quarter of 2026 alone, foreign investors' net

According to brokerage firms, Samsung Electronics' third-quarter dividend record date is September 30, 2026. Investors must complete purchases of Samsung Electronics common or preferred shares by September 28 to receive the dividend; September 29 marks the ex-dividend date. The company plans to

KODEX200, an exchange-traded fund tracking South Korea's KOSPI 200 index, recorded an 80.76% return from January 2 to September 20, rising from 60,460 won to 109,285 won, according to asset performance data from Daishin Securities released on the 27th. The ETF's return represents

According to Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini, Micron's earnings report next week will show satisfactory revenue guidance for the current quarter, but will not fully reflect the benefits of Nvidia's new Rubin AI chip platform. Hosseini characterized the upcoming quarter as a "teeter-totter quarter

Single-stock 2x leveraged ETF and ETN products tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix experienced declines of up to 50% over a 4-month period from May 27 through September 23, despite the underlying stocks falling only single-digit percentages during the same timeframe. The leveraged products

According to data from the Korean stock exchange, single-stock leverage ETFs for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fell 30-50% over 83 trading days through September 23, while the underlying stocks declined only 4.52% and 9.26% respectively since listing on May 27. The products track daily returns at

South Korea's KOSPI index gained 63.01 points, or 0.90%, to close at 7,080.92 for the week ending September 27, according to local media reports. Domestic institutions drove the rally with 1.7 trillion Korean won in net purchases, while retail and foreign investors net-sold 6.2 trillion and 419.1

According to KB Securities analyst Kim Dong-won on September 22, Samsung Electronics expects HBM4 (sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory) to account for over 60% of total DRAM output in the second half of 2026, expanding to 80% in 2027. The analyst cited Samsung's DRAM inventory at less than 10

KB Securities researcher Jang Moon-jun stated that Korean construction stocks now offer diverse investment opportunities across all companies. According to Jang's analysis, both domestic and overseas business segments have transformed into investment drivers for construction stocks, contrasting

According to Oman's Foreign Minister Badr on September 26 at the UN General Assembly, Oman pledged to continue ensuring maritime safety in the Strait of Hormuz and called on all parties to cooperate in accordance with international law. The statement comes amid ongoing tensions; the strait's

Korea Exchange will publish its first list of low price-to-book ratio (PBR) companies on November 2, marking a new phase in the country's corporate valuation improvement initiative. Companies can avoid inclusion by submitting PBR improvement plans by October 22, receiving a one-year exemption from p

According to Financial News, South Korea's Korea Exchange will unveil its first list of low-valuation companies (measured by price-to-book ratio) on November 2. Companies filing improvement plans by October 22 can obtain a one-year exemption from public disclosure. The measure targets firms

According to MarketWatch, USD/JPY fell 1% on Friday (Sept 26), approaching its largest single-day decline in three weeks. The decline confirmed a technical breakdown as the currency pair broke through a key trend line that had tracked gains since April 2025. A death cross—formed when the 50-day