Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to CoinDesk, UBS significantly increased its call options exposure on BlackRock's Bitcoin spot ETF (IBIT) in Q2, raising holdings from 800,000 to 1.95 million contracts, a 24-fold increase, as reported on August 16. The Swiss bank also raised direct IBIT holdings by approximately 12% to 40

Berkshire Hathaway increased its Alphabet investment during the second quarter, holding nearly 106 million shares worth approximately $37.8 billion and making Google's parent company its third-largest stock holding. The 83% increase from roughly 57.8 million shares three months earlier was tied to a

According to a regulatory filing released Friday, Berkshire Hathaway increased its Alphabet investment in Q2 2026, lifting Google's parent company to its third-largest stock holding and ending a 14-quarter streak of net equity selling. Berkshire held nearly 106 million Alphabet shares worth

According to The Wall Street Journal, US consumer sentiment deteriorated in August as the University of Michigan's preliminary sentiment index fell to 51 from 55.2 in July, missing economists' expectations of 54.5. Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan's survey, attributed the decline t

Based on Bridgewater's Q2 2026 13F filing (through June 30), the hedge fund significantly increased its S&P 500 index ETF positions while paring back semiconductor and AI-related holdings. The fund's total 13F portfolio stood at $24.38 billion, with SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) becoming its

Bitcoin traded flat this week while traditional markets rallied significantly, with gold posting its best weekly performance since January and the S&P 500 breaking to a new all-time high on a 3.6% gain. Gold miners surged 21.3% in their strongest week since 2008, driven by cooling July CPI data

According to Bitcoin.com's Week in Review newsletter, gold posted its best week since January this week, with the gold mining ETF GDX surging 21.3% for its best week since 2008. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 broke to a new all-time high with a 3.6% weekly gain, while Bitcoin traded flat. The rally was

According to BlockBeats, on August 16, the share of U.S. Treasury bill notes in the tradable Treasury securities market reached 21%, approaching the highest level since 2020. This represents a significant increase from the 10-15% range observed between 2012 and 2019. The U.S. government is

According to U-Analyze, York Space Systems (YSS-US) on August 16 slashed its 2026 revenue guidance from $570 million to $390 million, a reduction of $180 million or 32%, citing a shift in U.S. government procurement practices. The U.S. military has moved from directly awarding large satellite and

This week, markets will focus on multiple key economic releases between August 17-21. According to market data, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will publish July meeting minutes on Wednesday (Aug 19), with investors seeking signals on September rate decisions. Current market expectations sh

According to regulatory filings submitted on August 14, Harvard Management Company holds SpaceX shares worth $2.2 billion, making it the largest single stock position in the university's $4.3 billion U.S. equity portfolio. The stake originated from early venture investments in SpaceX made over a

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted preliminary conditional approval on Thursday for World Liberty Trust Company, a national trust bank tied to World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture backed by President Donald Trump and his family. The approval clears a major step for the

According to Iran's state news agency IRNA, Iran claimed that the Strait of Hormuz could serve as leverage to end regional conflict.

According to Jin10, next week (August 18–23) will see the release of major global economic data and corporate earnings. On Monday, China will announce its July social consumption, industrial production, and electricity usage figures. Mid-week, the U.K., Germany, Eurozone, and U.S. will publish

Harvard University's endowment kept its BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust holdings unchanged in the second quarter, ending two consecutive quarters of selling even as Bitcoin and the ETF declined in value. Harvard Management Company reported 3,044,612 IBIT shares worth $101.4 million as of June 30, un

Timefolio Asset Management initiated delisting procedures for its 'TIME US Dividend Dow Jones Active' ETF on the 19th after the fund's correlation coefficient fell below 0.7 for over three months. Korean regulations mandate active ETFs maintain at least 0.7 correlation with benchmark indices, with n

According to Korean media reports, TimePortfolio Asset Management announced on August 16 that its TIME US Dividend Dow Jones Active ETF will be delisted on August 19 due to failure to meet correlation coefficient requirements. The fund delivered a one-year return

According to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas, the top 10 constituents of the S&P 500 index account for 39% of the index weight and contribute 41% of its earnings.

According to Herald Economics, foreign investors poured approximately 5.6 trillion won into Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix this week. The buying activity also extended to other S7 constituents, including SK Square, Samsung C&T, and Samsung Life Insurance, which all recorded net inflows. S7

According to Reuters, Jane Street posted losses of approximately $15 billion in July due to its exposure to AI hedge fund Situational Awareness and a broader selloff in technology stocks. The fund, managed by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, triggered margin calls when AI stocks