Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Shanghai Steel Association, MMLC battery-grade lithium carbonate prices fell to 145,150 yuan/ton during early trading today (July 24), down 250 yuan/ton from the previous day's close at 16:30.

South Korean construction stocks Kumho Engineering & Construction and Namhwa Engineering & Construction declined sharply on the 24th after surging earlier this month on government mega-project announcements. As of 11:09 AM on the 24th, Kumho E&C traded down 8.94% at 10,290 won while Namhwa Engineeri

According to Korea Exchange, Kumho E&C and Namhwa Construction shares plunged on July 24 as investors took profits following earlier gains tied to government mega-project announcements. Kumho E&C fell 8.94% to 10,290 Korean won, while Namhwa Construction dropped 8.46% to 4,980 won. Both had surged a

According to Morgan Stanley, Google's cloud business revenue surged 82% to $24.77 billion in Q2, while TPU contributed over $1 billion for the first time. Order backlog reached $514 billion, up $52 billion sequentially, signaling strong AI compute demand. Morgan Stanley maintained an overweight

Foreign investors net purchased approximately 6.2 trillion won in the Korean stock market (KOSPI) over four consecutive trading days from the 20th to the 23rd, marking a sharp reversal from massive sell-offs earlier in July. The buying surge intensified around Alphabet's earnings announcement,

According to its announcement, Yunzhisheng (HK09678) unveiled a share buyback plan of up to HKD 100 million starting from July 23 for six months. The company will use its own funds for the buyback, which may be used for cancellation or held as treasury shares. Executive director and CEO Wong Wai

According to the Korean Exchange, foreign investors shifted to net buying of 6.2 trillion won in the KOSPI market from July 20-23, reversing weeks of sharp selling pressure. The buying accelerated following Alphabet's Q2 earnings report on July 22-23, when foreigners net purchased approximately 5 tr

South Korean securities firms affiliated with financial holding companies—NH Investment & Securities, KB Securities, and Shinhan Investment & Securities—delivered record first-half earnings as brokerage revenue surged and wealth management product sales accelerated. Net profit for all three firms

According to Jin10, on July 24, spot gold and silver continued to decline, prompting major Chinese jewelry brands to cut prices significantly. Chow Sang Sang's pure gold ornaments fell 31 yuan per gram to 1,227 yuan/gram; Laomiao Gold dropped 27 yuan per gram to 1,231 yuan/gram; Lao Fengxiang declin

Google (Alphabet) shares fell by about 4.5% after the release of the 2026 Q2 earnings report, even though Q2 total revenue reached $119.8 billion, beating analysts’ expectations. As reported by Ars Technica, this quarter’s capital expenditures (Capex)—mainly used for AI data centers—totaled $44.9 billion, directly causing Q2 free cash flow to come in at -$5.8 billion. Google Q2 2026 Earnings Breakdown by Segment Based on Google’s Q2 2026 earnings report, the key figures by business line are as f

According to Investing.com on July 23, Brent crude oil surged past $100 per barrel, rising more than $20 from early July lows. Macquarie's Bikas Dwivedi, global energy strategist, expects oil to maintain strength in the coming weeks as Persian Gulf supply availability decreases. The rally reflects r

According to Bitget data, South Korea's KOSPI index fell 4% intraday on July 24, closing at 6809.52 points. Among major constituents, Samsung Electronics declined 5.65% and SK Hynix dropped 5.42%.

According to iM Securities report on July 24, Samsung Electro-Mechanics signed additional long-term supply contracts for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) used in AI servers, strengthening its pricing power amid supply constraints. The brokerage raised its price target by 30.4% to 3 million

According to Betashares Chief Economist David Bassanese, U.S. President Trump imposed a 12.5% tariff on Australia on July 24, citing insufficient enforcement of forced labor prohibitions—a justification Bassanese called "absurd." He characterized the reasoning as "a weak excuse to find an

According to Jin10, SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Kioxia are set to report earnings amid uncertainty over storage chip demand as leveraged trading pushes South Korean markets to swing sharply. Kioxia faces particular pressure after its market value halved in recent weeks. Analysts at HSBC

The Nikkei 225 index fell 3.00% intraday on July 24, closing at 64,387.67 points.

According to South Korea's Financial Services Commission on July 24, the FSC will strengthen leverage ETF tracking error management standards effective August 19, 2026. Domestic asset thresholds will tighten from 3% to 2%, while overseas assets will decrease from 6% to 5%. Asset managers and

Japan's Economic and Trade Minister confirmed today that the country will not face tariffs beyond the scope of the existing agreement with the U.S., following discussions with U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo. Japan's burden is expected to remain within the range agreed upon last

Hyundai Mobis reported bearing an additional cost burden exceeding 60 billion won in Q2 due to memory semiconductor prices rising faster than anticipated. CFO Kim Do-hyung stated during the Q2 earnings conference call held on the 24th that approximately 61.5 billion won in memory semiconductor price

According to the U.S. Treasury Department statement released on July 23, South Korea was maintained on the currency monitoring list in the department's semi-annual foreign exchange report to Congress. South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland, and