Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Nine major US technology companies including Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Nvidia, Broadcom, SpaceX, and AMD have $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI-related commitments according to a Wall Street Journal analysis published on the 17th. The commitments include $1.2 trillion in lease

Alphabet, Fidelity, and NVIDIA hold over 100 million SpaceX shares each, according to Yahoo Finance data disclosed on the 18th. Google's parent company Alphabet owns 551.2 million shares valued at $77.2 billion, Fidelity holds 302.6 million shares worth $42.4 billion, and NVIDIA possesses 122.8 mill

According to the Wall Street Journal's analysis on Aug 17, nine major U.S. tech companies—including Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Nvidia, Broadcom, SpaceX, and AMD—hold $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI-related commitments. The figure comprises $1.2 trillion in uncommenced lease

According to Yahoo Finance, on August 18, major institutional investors disclosed significant holdings in SpaceX following the company's recent listing. Alphabet holds 551.2 million shares valued at $77.2 billion, Fidelity holds 302.6 million shares worth $42.4 billion, and Nvidia holds 122.8 millio

According to Korea Exchange, KOSPI index rose 3.2% to 7200.02 points on August 18, driven by foreign investor buying and semiconductor sector strength. Samsung and SK Hynix led gains, surging 4.74% and 8.57%

U.S. President Donald Trump's 2025 financial disclosure filings show that he conducted approximately 21k stock and other asset transactions throughout the year—far more than any previous president—generating more than $2 billion in annual income, of which approximately $1 billion came from cryptocurrency. Market participants believe this approach bears a strong resemblance to a “direct indexing” strategy: directly holding index constituents and then using algorithms to frequently buy and sell in

According to Jin10, WTI crude oil futures fell 1.08% as of 09:30 Beijing time on Aug 18, while U.S. natural gas futures rose 0.48% during the same period.

According to Zhitong Finance, China Lodging Group-S (01179) released its Q2 2026 results on August 17. The company reported second-quarter revenue of CNY 71.21 billion, up 10.8% year-over-year, with net profit attributable to the company of CNY 16 billion, up 2.1% YoY. The stock surged 11.51% to

According to MSX.COM, U.S. stock indices closed lower on August 18, with the Dow Jones declining 0.51%, S&P 500 down 0.52%, and Nasdaq falling 0.32%, while the VIX fear gauge rose 6.6%. AI stocks fell broadly, with AeroVironment dropping 6.06%, SoundHound AI down 5.25%, The Trade Desk declining 5.23

Morgan Stanley cut its target price for Pop Mart (09992.HK) to HK$214 from HK$247, citing weakening overseas sales and high base effects in the second half of 2026. The brokerage's analysts noted that overseas sales have slowed significantly due to limited incremental positive developments. The

Bitcoin (BTC) has seen a slight rebound, temporarily trading at around $64,310 on August 18. According to an official press release issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Treasury has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking under the GENIUS Act, seeking public comment on regulations governing the issuance, provision, and sale of payment stablecoins in the United States. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency conditionally approved Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial’s a

According to ChainCatcher, Robinhood has launched Agentic Trading now available to eligible users. Users can connect their agents via Robinhood MCP server to trade crypto alongside stocks and options within a dedicated Agentic Account using deposited funds. Agents now support trading with

South Korea's economy faces a trajectory between Taiwan's semiconductor-driven acceleration and Switzerland's pharmaceutical stagnation, according to an analysis released by NH Investment & Securities on August 18. The assessment comes as South Korea's semiconductor exports reached 16% of GDP in

According to NH Investment & Securities analysis on August 18, South Korea's semiconductor exports reached 16% of first-quarter GDP, positioning the country between Taiwan's high-growth chip economy and Switzerland's mature, slower-growth model. The HBM (high-bandwidth memory) market, dominated

According to Wells Fargo Investment Research, the bank recently cut its 2026-2027 gold price targets, citing elevated real yields in the United States as the primary headwind. Despite the lower targets, the firm emphasized that sustained Asian demand and continued central bank gold purchases will re

According to Jin10 Data, the People's Bank of China did not conduct reverse repo operations today (August 18) but implemented 469.7 billion yuan in overnight reverse repos. With 565.5 billion yuan in overnight reverse repos maturing today, the PBOC achieved a net withdrawal of 95.8 billion yuan in t

MicroStrategy (NAS:MSTR) Chairman Michael Saylor stated on the 17th (US local time) that the Bitcoin holding company will not prioritize share buybacks despite recent stock declines. Saylor told investors during a Q&A session that buybacks would only be considered if the stock trades at an

According to Cointelegraph, on August 18, the U.S. CFTC sought public comment on AI compute futures contracts, with CME planning to launch two futures products on October 5, pending regulatory approval. The public comment period typically lasts 30 to 60 days. CME's products will use pricing

Kyobo Securities announced on the 18th its decision to purchase 40 billion won of subordinated bonds issued by affiliate Kyobo Life Insurance, supporting group-level capital expansion. The bond purchase is part of Kyobo Life's 300 billion won issuance of 7th series

According to CoinDesk on August 17, Michael Saylor, chairman of MicroStrategy (NAS:MSTR), stated the company will not prioritize share buybacks in the near term despite a significant stock decline. The company will only consider buybacks if the stock trades at an exceptional discount to net asset