Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

FX swap points in South Korea's foreign currency funding market closed mostly flat on July 30 amid mixed supply and demand. The 1-year maturity FX swap point ended unchanged at minus 12.50 won, while shorter-term instruments showed limited movement. Market participants attributed the range-bound

According to Yonhapinfomax, on July 30, South Korea's FX swap points closed mostly flat across most tenors. The 1-year maturity settled at -12.50 won versus opening levels, while the 6-month and 3-month maturities ended at -5.70 won and -2.45 won respectively. Short-term maturities showed mixed

According to Korea Exchange, on July 30, nine stocks hit the daily ceiling limit (30% gain cap) on South Korea's stock market, while zero stocks recorded limit-down trading. On KOSPI, four stocks reached the upper limit, including Kumho Construction, which closed at 9,490 Korean won, up 30% from the

According to BlockBeats citing BIT market data, on July 30 during U.S. pre-market trading Thursday, semiconductor stocks posted broad gains. Lam Research (LRCX) surged 7.65%, Applied Materials (AMAT) rose 2.66%, ASML (ASML) advanced 2.08%, KLA (KLAC) gained 1.97%, TSMC (TSM) up 1.05%, and Nvidia

Japanese stocks showed mixed performance on the 30th, with the Nikkei 225 index rising 433.24 points (0.71%) to close at 61,867.43, while the Topix index fell 21.53 points (0.54%) to 3,952.50. The Nikkei rebounded after three trading days of declines, driven by buying in AI and

POSCO Holdings announced plans to sell KRW 3.5 trillion in listed subsidiary stakes by the end of next year, raising concerns about reduced dividend capacity. The company will reduce its ownership in listed subsidiaries to 50%, allocating 90% of proceeds to lithium plant investments and 10% to

According to Yonhapinfomax, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 433.24 points (0.71%) to close at 61,867.43 on July 30, rebounding after three trading days of losses. The TOPIX index declined 0.54% to 3,952.50. The index was initially weak at the open but turned positive in early morning trading,

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a $4.84 million investment in Harena Rare Earths' Ampasindava rare earth project in Madagascar to support pilot plant operations, metallurgical testing, and environmental studies. The funding aims to diversify US critical mineral s

According to POSCO Holdings, the company plans to reduce its stake in listed subsidiaries to 50% by the end of 2027, divesting approximately 3.5 trillion won in shares, the group announced on July 30. About 90 percent of the proceeds will be invested in lithium production facilities, with the

According to Oilprice.com, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced today that it will provide $4.84 million to Harena Rare Earths' Ampasindava rare earth project in Madagascar to support pilot plant operations, metallurgical testing, and environmental research. The Am

Eurozone is due to release key economic data on July 30, including second-quarter GDP year-on-year initial reading, June unemployment rate, and July industrial confidence and economic sentiment indices. The data releases are scheduled for later

According to Shinhan Investment Securities and blockchain data platform Alium, on July 28, a single share of SK Hynix executed at down-limit price (1,272,000 Korean won) on domestic alternative exchange

Zaia Optoelectronics (03308), China's leading optical communication equipment manufacturer, fell below its IPO price on its Hong Kong debut today, closing at HK$960 against the offer price of HK$980, a decline of 2%. The stock hit a low of HK$880 during the day, down 10.2%, with trading volume

According to industry sources, South Korea's financial regulators initiated an investigation on July 30 into foreign high-frequency trading (HFT) activity linked to increased volatility in single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The inquiry targets overseas algorithmic traders

According to Goldman Sachs, as cited by Jin10, Asian equity hedge funds experienced their largest monthly decline on record, dropping 18.6% as of July 28, driven by a broad sell-off in AI-related stocks. The funds have relinquished 21 percentage points of year-to-date gains since peaking at 40%

TPG, holding 29% of Kakao Mobility, is pushing for a US ADR listing to exit its investment, but majority owner Kakao is not actively cooperating. TPG appointed Gwangjang law firm as counsel after selecting Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS as underwriters. Kakao's hesitation is driven by

According to Chosun Biz, TPG, the second-largest shareholder of Kakao Mobility holding approximately 29% stake, is advancing plans to exit its investment through a U.S. American depositary receipt (ADR) listing on July 30. However, controlling shareholder Kakao has taken a lukewarm stance on the

According to Hyperinsight monitoring, on July 30, Polymarket trader xm39 held 806,700 Yes shares betting on a U.S. invasion of Iran by 2027, with a position cost of $223,000 at an average of $0.2763. The trader's linked Hyperliquid address is now the platform's largest WTI crude long,

According to ChainCatcher, Swiss Life Asset Managers increased its MicroStrategy holdings by 38% to 37,889 shares, valued at $3.55 million.

According to related government agencies, South Korea's National Pension Fund dropped to around 1.6 quadrillion won on July 30, down from over 1.9 quadrillion won previously. The decline of approximately 300 trillion won follows a sharp market selloff, with the KOSPI index plunging from around 9,000