Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

The Korea Federation of Banks reported that COFIX (Cost of Funds Index), the benchmark for variable mortgage rates, rose to 3.18% in July, marking the fourth consecutive monthly increase. The new loan-based index climbed 0.13 percentage points from June's 3.05%, driven by rising bank funding costs a

According to Korea Economic Daily, South Korea's stock market recovery this month has rekindled investor appetite for risk assets, with bullish index-tracking ETFs dominating trading volume rankings. ETF trading volumes have reached 18 trillion won, with products betting on index gains appearing at

According to Jin10, China's CNEX funding sentiment index stood at 47 as of 14:30 on August 18, up 1 point from the 10:15 reading. The index for large banks, small and mid-sized banks, and non-bank institutions each rose 1 point to 46, 48, and 46 respectively. The index ranges from 0 to 100,

According to Guru Club, Singapore's benchmark stock index fell 1.2% to close at 5,076.81 points on June 4.

Korea Investment Trust Management completed a 60 billion won paid-in capital increase on June 30, issuing 60,000 new common shares at 1 million won per share. Parent company Korea Investment Securities subscribed to all newly issued shares. The company stated the capital raise serves to secure

According to Gate data, Brent crude oil (XBRUSD) surged to $92.04 per barrel on August 18, breaking the $92 mark, up 3.6% in 24 hours.

According to Taiwan Economic Daily, Taiwan's power semiconductor makers are planning a third round of price adjustments, with non-contract product prices set to rise by 10% to 15% starting in October. Industry players including Taiwan Semiconductor, Transpower, and Demax are expected to benefit

According to financial industry sources, Korea Investment Trust Management completed a 60 billion won capital increase on June 30, marking its first expansion in five years. The company issued 60,000 shares at 1 million won per share, with parent company Korea Investment Securities providing all

South Korean securities firms and asset management companies face mounting tax burdens from outdated regulations despite rapid growth in the exchange-traded fund (ETF) market, according to industry reports on the 18th. ETF liquidity providers (LPs)

According to Financial News and the Capital Market Research Institute, South Korea's exchange-traded fund (ETF) market, valued at 500 trillion won, faces mounting pressure from outdated tax regulations as trading accelerates. Large securities firms bear approximately 150 billion won in annual

According to South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service and Korea Exchange, exchanges and securities firms collected over 110 billion Korean won in fees within two months after launching single-stock leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, before

According to South Korea's Banking Union, the COFIX index—which measures the weighted average funding cost for banks' mortgages—reached 3.18% in July 2026 based on new disbursements, up 0.13 percentage points

According to Japan's Ministry of Finance, on August 18, the nation's 5-year government bond auction achieved a bids-to-cover ratio of 4.15x, surpassing the previous auction's 3.43x and the 12-month average of 3.34x. The tail (price difference between average and lowest accepted bids) narrowed to 0.0

According to Jin10, foreign exchange options for EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and AUD/USD will expire tonight (August 18) at 22:00 Beijing time. The expiration includes 3 major strike prices, each with open interest exceeding 1 billion

Hana Securities analyst Lee Jae-man stated on August 18 that Samsung Electronics stocks may lead a KOSPI rebound due to excessive discount rates and reduced foreign ownership. The report compares Samsung to Apple's shift from growth to dividend focus after 2012. Samsung's 2024-2026 shareholder

CoreWeave, Nebius, and IREN are experiencing exceptional growth as neocloud operators serving AI infrastructure demand. CoreWeave has doubled its revenue year over year in each of the last seven quarters, while IREN's growth has stayed above 350% in the last six quarters. The surge in AI

According to BlockBeats, on August 18, U.S. stock index futures declined, with Nasdaq-100 futures down more than 1%, S&P 500 futures down 0.5%, and Dow Jones futures down 0.2%, according to BIT (Bit.com)

According to BlockBeats, on August 18, Changxin Technology saw trading volume exceed 20 billion yuan (approximately $2.8 billion), with shares declining 4.8% on the day.

According to China Rueilin, executives from the company met with representatives from Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor Closed Joint-Stock Company on August 17 to discuss cooperation. China Rueilin's Party Secretary, Chairman and General Manager Wu Runhua and Kumtor's Board Chairman Toktosonov Kanimeт discussed i

The yield spread between French and German 10-year government bonds widened to 86 basis points, the widest level since October 2025, according to market data.