Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

South Korea's securities industry expects the domestic stock market stimulus policy to continue despite controversy over the government's 2026 tax reform plan. The government proposed a new productive finance ISA that would fully exempt taxes on interest and dividend income from domestic stocks, dom

According to Bloomberg, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is investing $400 million to repair its main smelter and restore production to pre-conflict levels by the first quarter of 2027, following an Iranian attack in March that halted output. EGA, the Middle East's largest aluminum producer, said it

China's major futures contracts closed higher on August 12 morning session, with gains outweighing losses. Polysilicon led gains with a rise exceeding 4%, followed by fuel oil up over 3%, lithium carbonate and European container routes up nearly 3%, low-sulfur fuel oil, synthetic rubber, and

According to UBS Group's chief economist Jonathan Pingel, on August 12, the bank expects U.S. inflation year-on-year growth for July to slow, though it will remain significantly above pre-Iran conflict levels and higher than the same period last year. Core inflation is projected to strengthen

Spot platinum rose 0.98% and spot palladium increased 0.56% as of 3:00 p.m. Beijing time on August 12.

According to Nasdaq on August 11, the U.S. securities exchange operator established Digital Liquidity Networks (DLN), a dedicated division to address digital assets and tokenized products. The division will expand Nasdaq's existing digital asset capabilities and solutions across new market

According to Grayscale's Form RW filing on August 7, 2026, the asset management firm voluntarily withdrew registration statements for its Cardano (ADA), Hedera (HBAR), and Polkadot (DOT) Trust products. The company stated it does not intend to proceed with the planned distributions. The withdrawal i

According to Financial News and Korea Exchange data, high-dividend ETFs rallied from Aug. 3-12 as investors positioned for expected tax incentives under South Korea's 2026 tax reform plan. PLUS High-Dividend Stock ETF led with trading volume of 120.7 billion Korean won and a 1.36% gain. PLUS High-Di

According to Nice Credit Rating, Lotte Group divested a 61.17% stake in Lotte Rental to TPG for approximately 1.31 trillion Korean won on August 11. The deal was completed through a stock purchase agreement between the global private equity fund and Lotte Hotel, which sold 38.14% of shares, and

According to Han Kyung Economic Daily, South Korea's top 10 securities firms posted combined net profit of 5.936 trillion won in Q2 2026, surging 37% from the previous quarter and reaching 98.4% of the top 10 banks' combined profit of 6.0296 trillion won. The ratio jumped significantly to 98.4% from

According to Korean Economic TV, on August 12, LG Electronics surged 13% to close at 205,000 won, rebounding from a low of 141,900 won on July 29. The stock recovery outpaced major semiconductor peers including Samsung Electronics (up 6.68%) and SK Hynix (up 5.54%). The rally is attributed to

According to Yonhap Infomax, Meritz Financial Holdings announced on August 12 that it achieved a record half-year net profit of 1.4716 trillion Korean won (approximately $1.1 billion USD), up 8.3% year-over-year. The company's second quarter net profit reached 791.4 billion won, marking its

According to Yonhap Infomax, Meritz Securities reported operating profit of 245.7 billion Korean won in Q2 2026 (announced August 12), down 18.2% year-over-year. Net profit for the same period rose 1.4% to 259.7 billion Korean won. For the first half of 2026, the company's consolidated operating pro

Individual investors in South Korea shifted their exchange-traded fund positions during the one-month period from July 10 to August 11, net purchasing 744.1 billion won in KODEX Leverage and 433.2 billion won in KODEX KOSDAQ150 Leverage while net selling 282.3 billion won in KODEX 200 Futures

According to KOSCOM ETF CHECK, South Korean retail investors shifted from betting on market declines to buying leveraged ETFs in the latest month (July 10–Aug 11). Individual investors net purchased 744.1 billion won in KODEX Leverage, the largest individual net buying volume across all ETFs in the

South Korea's Financial Services Commission approved stricter deviation rate management rules for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) effective from the 19th, alongside mandatory mock trading requirements for single-stock leveraged and inverse products. The regulatory chang

According to the Financial Services Commission, South Korea will significantly strengthen divergence rate management standards for ETFs and ETNs effective August 19. Domestic products' divergence rate limits will tighten from 3% to 2%, while overseas products will decrease from 6% to 5%. The FSC

According to Korea Exchange, on August 12, South Korean semiconductor equipment stocks surged following strong earnings from major U.S. technology companies. Miraeindus rose 15.64% to 8,650 won, while inspection equipment maker Neosem climbed 9.45% to 11,230 won. Other equipment manufacturers also g

Spot silver advanced 2.00% during today's trading session (August 12), reaching $65.97 per ounce.

According to Jin10, on August 12, Federal Reserve officials signaled hawkish stances toward inflation. Governor Collins stated support for a September rate hike if inflation remains elevated, while Governor Goolsbee identified inflation as the economy's greatest challenge. Meanwhile, the Japanese