BigBreakingWire

🚨 Crypto Becomes Key Sanctions Evasion Tool for Iran, Russia & North Korea: Report

Chainalysis: Crypto addresses linked to sanctioned entities received over $100B in 2025, nearly 8x the previous year's total.

Russia legalized crypto payments for foreign trade on July 1, while Iran and North Korea used crypto exchanges and hacking to support military funding.

The U.S. Treasury sanctioned four major Iranian crypto exchanges in June and said it seized around $1B in Iranian crypto assets.

WSJ: Iran, Russia, and North Korea increasingly relied on cryptocurrency as key financial infrastructure to bypass Western sanctions.

🚨 BREAKING: Korean chip stocks are facing growing risks due to unusually high leverage in single-stock ETFs.

SK Hynix leveraged ETFs hold about $19 billion in assets, more than 4 times the stock's average daily trading volume. Samsung Electronics leveraged ETFs hold around $12.4 billion, also far above normal trading volumes.

This level of leverage is much higher than seen in stocks like Micron Technology, Tesla, and NVIDIA, making the Korean market more vulnerable to sharp price swings.

If SK Hynix shares fall, leveraged ETFs could be forced to sell, triggering more selling and increasing market volatility. Hong Kong-listed 2x leveraged SK Hynix ETFs add to this risk.

SK Hynix is expected to launch a U.S. listing next week at an implied $29 billion valuation, which could attract new investors, but analysts say the heavy leverage remains a key downside risk if market sentiment weakens.

🚨 JAPAN'S 10-YEAR BOND YIELD HITS HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 1996 AMID INFLATION, FISCAL RISK CONCERNS

Japan's 10-year JGB yield rose for a sixth straight session to 2.79%, near Friday's 2.81% intraday high, the highest since October 1996.

Rising energy-driven inflation, a weaker yen, and concerns over higher government spending continue to push bond yields higher.

Ken Miyajima said fears of fiscal expansion and cautious monetary policy are keeping long- and ultra-long bond yields elevated.

Investors are watching demand at this week's 30-year and 5-year Japanese government bond auctions.

🚨 Bank of Korea Warns on Risks From Single-Stock Leveraged ETFs

Bank of Korea says leveraged ETFs tied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix could increase market concentration and amplify price volatility.

The central bank noted the two companies account for more than 50% of Korea's equity market capitalization and trading turnover.

It warned these products could magnify inflows and outflows, increase retail investor losses during market declines, and intensify share price swings through ETF rebalancing and redemptions.

The Bank of Korea said it will step up monitoring of single-stock leveraged ETFs and their impact on the stock market and financial system.

Tesla caps employee AI tool spending at $200/week starting July 6; excess needs manager approval. Spending on Musk-owned XAI's Grok is exempt. Grok has low uptake; most staff use ANTHROPIC's Claude. Several other US tech firms have similar AI spending controls.

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$BTC - RBI Backs Tough Crypto Curbs, Ban Still Under Consideration

Top RBI officials have urged a parliamentary panel to keep banks and regulated financial institutions completely insulated from crypto assets and privately issued stablecoins, supporting a prohibition-leaning approach.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance is expected to submit its report on virtual digital assets soon after holding its seventh meeting on the issue.

#BitcoinFallsOver50%FromOctoberHigh

🇯🇵 Japan says it stands ready to act against excessive FX volatility; officials decline to comment on specific yen levels as markets watch for possible BOJ rate hike and intervention.

Citi: Brent crude could fall to $60 per barrel by the end of the year as risks around the Strait of Hormuz ease.

Analyst Francesco Martoccia said oil market fundamentals are returning to normal, with shipping activity recovering and the spot crude market weakening.

The bank also noted that global oil inventory draws have been much smaller than expected, reducing concerns over supply shortages.

Citi expects some near-term volatility as shipping routes normalize, insurance costs adjust and logistics improve, but says rising vessel traffic suggests commercial operators now see the disruption risk as manageable.

The Korea Printed Circuit Board and Semiconductor Packaging Association (KPCA) says Samsung and SK Hynix pushed substrate suppliers to cut prices. They asked vendors to reverse the 3%–4% average increase agreed in Q1. The chipmakers cited easing pressure on raw materials like gold and copper. They said H2 pricing should return to pre-hike levels.

KPCA says Samsung and SK Hynix are pressing substrate suppliers to lower quotes. They want to roll back the average 3–4% price rise agreed in Q1. Both firms cite eased volatility in raw materials like gold and copper. They say H2 supplier prices should revert to pre-increase levels.

🇰🇷 BREAKING: SK Hynix plunges nearly 15% after Meta's AI cloud plans spark overcapacity fears. Asian chip stocks tumble, erasing about $290B in market value from SK Hynix and Samsung ahead of SK Hynix's planned Nasdaq ADR listing.

🔴 Japan's Nikkei 225 closed July 2 (Thursday) down 1,741.81 points (-2.47%) at 68,733.15. South Korea's KOSPI closed July 2 (Thursday) down 610.98 points (-7.36%) at 7,692.43.

🚨 Global equity fundraising hits $729.4B in H1 2026, led by record SpaceX IPO

Global equity issuance reached $729.4B in H1 2026, the second-highest first-half total on record.

SpaceX raised about $86B in the largest IPO ever, debuting on Nasdaq at a valuation above $2T.

Tech equity deals totalled a record ~$302B in H1 2026.

Global M&A value jumped 30% YoY to $2.6T, supported by a lighter regulatory environment.

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🇰🇷 South Korea says current economic conditions differ from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, with USD liquidity remaining ample. Authorities are weighing measures to boost overnight FX market liquidity, while saying USD/KRW levels do not reflect economic fundamentals and confirming close coordination with Japan on foreign-exchange policy.

TD Securities says a joint US-Japan currency intervention to support the yen now looks increasingly likely.

The firm noted Japan's top currency official, MIMURA, repeatedly mentioned the US in a Wednesday interview, suggesting Tokyo is seeking Washington's backing for coordinated action.

According to TD Securities, a joint intervention would have a much bigger impact than Japan acting alone, with USD/JPY potentially falling by well over the typical 5-yen move seen in past interventions.

The firm also believes MIMURA's comments were a warning to currency traders against pushing USD/JPY beyond the 163 level.

🚨 FT: OpenAI is discussing selling a 5% stake to the Trump administration; the company is valued at around $852 billion.

OpenAI is reportedly seeking administration support to overcome political and regulatory hurdles.

CEO Sam Altman has argued public ownership is the best way to share AI gains and proposed the idea in early talks.

The proposal could extend to other U.S. AI firms, while OpenAI and Anthropic have delayed advanced model releases amid U.S. government review.

🚨 OCBC Slashes Brent Oil Price Forecasts Through Q2 2027

OCBC Group Research cut its Brent crude forecasts through Q2 2027 after oil shipments and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rebounded following the US–Iran memorandum of understanding.

The bank said expectations of supply normalization have pushed oil prices back toward pre-conflict levels, reviving concerns of a potential global supply glut.

Revised Brent forecasts: Q3 2026 $75/bbl (from $85), Q4 2026 $75 (from $80), Q1 2027 $73 (from $75), Q2 2027 $71 (from $75).

🚨 Strait of Hormuz oil flows have surpassed 10 million bpd as shipments rebound after the U.S.-Iran agreement.

Iran has exported 50 million barrels in the past two weeks, earning an estimated $3.5 billion.

Tehran plans to impose transit fees after the 60-day free-passage period ends in mid-August; the U.S. has rejected the proposal.

The recovery signals easing supply risks and reduced leverage over the key global oil chokepoint.

🚨 Foreign investors dump record $137.4B from Asian equities in H1 2026

Reuters: Net outflows hit $137.36 billion, the fastest six-month exodus since records began in 2010.

BlackRock downgraded emerging-market equities to neutral, citing AI concentration risks in South Korea and Taiwan.

JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs raised financing costs for hedge fund positions in SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

South Korea and Taiwan were hit hardest as AI-driven chip gains prompted global funds to cut concentrated positions.

🚨 Major Korean Banks Ramp Up FX Trading Ahead of 24-Hour KRW Market

South Korea's biggest banks are expanding FX trading teams, boosting Seoul–London operations, and upgrading systems ahead of the launch of a near-24-hour KRW foreign exchange trading regime on July 6, aimed at improving won liquidity and accelerating the internationalization of Korea's financial markets.