Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Goldman Sachs upgraded Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) and BNK Financial Group to 'buy' from 'sell' on the 22nd, marking a two-step rating change and the first time BNK Financial has exited a 'sell' rating from a foreign brokerage since 2022. The upgrade followed strong semiconductor export

Daishin Securities announced on the 23rd that it will pay interest on IPO subscription deposits, offering annual rates of 1% on amounts up to 1 million won and 0.6% on amounts exceeding 1 million won. The policy aims to expand customer benefits

According to the People's Bank of China, the central bank conducted an RMB 8 billion 7-day reverse repurchase operation today (September 23), with a bidding amount of RMB 8 billion and a successful bid of RMB 8 billion at an operating rate of 1.40%, unchanged from the previous

Quantum encryption-related stocks showed strong gains in early trading on September 23rd, with XGate rising 16.93% and Woori Net climbing 9.54% as of 9:40 AM. The rally was driven by securities industry forecasts that AI technology advancement will increase the importance of cybersecurity,

POSCO Future M stocks surged 3.75% to 191,100 KRW as of 10:04 AM on the 23rd following the company's disclosure of a 1.1 trillion KRW lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode material supply contract with SK On. The contract, announced the previous day, marks POSCO Future M's first cathode material supp

Bitcoin was last quoted at $86,660 on September 23, maintaining its strong rebound. Over the weekend, the U.S. approved an “innovation exemption,” providing regulatory facilitation for trading tokenized stocks through blockchain technology. This reignited positive market expectations for the integration of the crypto ecosystem with traditional finance, becoming one of the key catalysts behind the recovery in Bitcoin demand. On September 18, Bitcoin ETFs recorded more than $400 million in net inf

According to Daeshin Securities on September 23, the South Korean brokerage will pay annual interest on IPO subscription deposits, offering up to 1% for amounts of 1 million Korean won or less, and 0.6% for amounts exceeding 1 million won. The new policy applies to companies that submit securities r

According to KB Securities, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Securitize and Optimism Foundation on September 21 to jointly develop tokenized securities products for domestic institutional investors in South Korea. KB Securities will handle product supply leveraging its

According to Goldman Sachs, on September 23, the firm upgraded IBK Enterprise Bank and BNK Financial from Sell to Buy in its Korea banking sector report, raising target prices 47.1% and 42.9% respectively. IBK's target was increased to 25,000 Korean won from 17,000 won, while BNK Financial's rose to

According to Uanta Securities on September 23, Samsung Electronics' target price was raised from 530,000 to 630,000 Korean won, with a 'buy' rating maintained. The brokerage cited expectations for a prolonged memory semiconductor upcycle, projecting Q3 operating profit of 102 trillion won for both m

According to Financial News, South Korean semiconductor equipment and materials stocks surged on September 23 as U.S. chip sector strength overnight boosted investor sentiment. Wonik IPS gained 4.6% to 136,300 Korean won, while Zeus climbed 14.53% and Tesk rose 4.91%. Samsung Electronics and SK

According to News1 and Hana Securities analysis, South Korean quantum cryptography stocks surged on September 23 morning as AI advancement drives cybersecurity demand. XGate jumped 16.93% to 19,340 Korean won, while URINET rose 9.54% to 10,220 won. Hana Securities analyst Lee Sang-hoon noted that ad

According to Yonhapnews, POSCO Future M announced on September 22 that it signed a 1.1 trillion won cathode material supply contract with SK On. On September 23, the company's stock surged 3.75% to 191,100 Korean won by 10:04 a.m., with intraday highs reaching 193,500 won, up 5.05% from the

China's interbank foreign exchange market set the USD/CNY midpoint rate at 6.7468 on September 23, up 9 basis points (reflecting yuan depreciation). The EUR/CNY rate declined 124 points to 7.6935. Other major currency pairs: GBP/CNY fell 183 points to 8.9680; HKD/CNY rose 4.1 points to 0.86015;

On September 22, COMEX gold closed at $4,396.2 per troy ounce, up 0.28%, while Shanghai futures gold (SHFE) rose 0.36% to 941.10 yuan per gram. According to ADP data, U.S. private sector employment averaged 20,000 new jobs per week over the four weeks ending September 5. The uptick in gold prices

Seoul bond market participants monitored US-Iran developments and foreign investor activity ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Domestic institutions maintained cautious positioning following recent interest rate surges. A 5-year Korean

According to Cointelegraph, asset manager 21Shares launched two physical-backed crypto ETPs on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam on September 23, including Europe's first Zcash (ZEC) ETP and an Ether.fi (ETHFI) governance token ETP. Both products are backed by custodied spot tokens, allowing investors to

On September 23 morning session, Shanghai Gold Exchange gold T+D futures rose 0.5% to 940.0 yuan per gram, while silver T+D futures climbed 1.74% to 16,297.0 yuan per kilogram.

According to Tokyo foreign exchange market data on September 23, the Japanese yen opened at approximately 1 U.S. dollar = 157.39 yen, up 0.06 yen from the previous close, as traders remained cautious over potential Bank of Japan intervention. The yen later traded at 157.50-157.51 yen per dollar

Finger announced on September 23 that it has signed a stock purchase agreement to acquire 100% stakes in SeahAFSI and S&G Holdings from Aramis Holdings Investment Corporation for 155 billion won. The transaction is scheduled to close on October 30. Finger will establish a special purpose company (S