Korean stocks just staged one of the biggest rebounds in market history.
After a brutal 3-day, 17% selloff, the KOSPI soared as much as 18% on Friday, its largest single-day gain on record. The turnaround wasn't random. South Korea unveiled a major stabilization package, including ~$13.9 billion for strategic AI investments and tighter leverage rules for ETFs to reduce forced liquidations. At the same time, SK Hynix hit its 30% daily limit, helped by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's first-ever open-market purchase of the company's shares, while Samsung surged as much as 27%. Investors also believe the worst of this week's deleveraging may now be over, while stronger AI spending outlooks from US Big Tech boosted confidence across semiconductor stocks. Adding to the shift, Japan and South Korea reportedly coordinated currency support, signaling policymakers are willing to act aggressively to stop an AI-driven selloff from becoming a broader financial crisis. Source: Bloomberg, Global Markets Investor
The Swiss National Bank reported a solid six-month profit, as gains from the global stock-market rally and a weaker franc offset the drop in value of its gold holdings.
The SNB earned 25.2 billion francs ($31.2 billion) from January through June, it said in a statement on Friday. That brings a year-end payout to the Swiss government back into focus after the first quarter resulted in a small loss. Source: Bloomberg
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1,153.18 points lower, or 2.19%, for its worst decline since April 2025
Stocks tumbled for a myriad of reasons Wednesday, but mostly because the bond market signaled the Federal Reserve could be falling behind on the inflation fight as the central bank chose to keep interest rates unchanged. The S&P 500 slid 1.52%. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.74% to 24,442.94, ending the session more than 10% off its all-time high. The Fed kept to the sidelines in its latest rate decision, and the bond market responded with the 10-year Treasury yield jumping 7 basis points to above 4.67%. The 30-year Treasury yield soared 10 basis points to above 5.2%, hitting its highest level since 2007. Three officials wanted a hike, but the Fed still stood pat on rates. And Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh’s tough talk failed to convince the bond market.
Earnings are out: $MSFT +8pct after-hours, $META -8pct after-hours
Microsoft beat on the top line and saw a gain from its Anthropic stake. The software company’s Azure cloud business now exceeds $100 billion. Customers other than large model builders helped to expand Microsoft’s backlog. Meta shares dropped after the company reported second-quarter earnings that missed on earnings per share. The company’s revenue forecast also came in light. Meta narrowed its guidance for capital expenditures, keeping the top end of the range. Source: Stocktwits
Nasdaq 100 $QQQ enters technical correction after dropping more than 10% from June's all-time high
Source: Barchart
Apple customers in the U.S. will soon be able to lease an iPhone for up to two years at a price starting at $17.99 per month, the company announced on Tuesday
The program, called Upgrade, is a partnership with Klarna, a provider of buy now, pay later loans, that will be offered at Apple’s physical retail stores as well as its online store. After passing a soft credit check, customers will be offered a one- or two-year lease on an iPhone. There will be a similar option for an Apple Watch, or a two- or three-year lease available for Macs and iPads. Source: CNBC
South Korea's Stock Market has plunged more than 33% this month
It is on track for its worst month in history, surpassing the October 1997 IMF Crisis (-27%) and the October 2008 Global Financial Crisis (-23%) 📉 📉 Source: Barchart
The best organisations don't reward noise, they reward impact.
As leaders, our responsibility is to ensure that excellence never goes unnoticed simply because it arrives without fanfare. Source: Robertson Hunter Stewart
