SK Hynix exited a new $120 million position, with long funding rates rising 37.5% month-over-month.

Today, the European Union launched a tender to build up to seven artificial intelligence (AI) super factories across Europe, a key initiative in the bloc’s latest drive to advance European technological autonomy and realize its “AI continent” ambition. Led by industry, the plan is backed by up to €100 billion in funding from the EU and its member states, and is projected to unlock at least €200 billion in private investment across the bloc. The initiative will expand Europe’s AI computing capacity, providing infrastructure for training, inference, and fine-tuning of cutting-edge AI models for startups, growth-stage enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industrial players, academic institutions, and public sector bodies. The AI super factories will integrate advanced AI processors, software and cloud technology stacks, high-speed connectivity networks, and energy-efficient data centers. The plan will be combined with Europe’s existing network of 19 AI factories, further strengthening the bloc’s technological leadership, resilience, and strategic autonomy. (Jinshi)

According to Newsis reports, SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won purchased 3,600 shares of SK Hynix. Data from Bitget shows that at today's closing price of SK Hynix, which is $920, the total value of the shares amounts to approximately $3.31 million.

According to Deribit data, crypto options with a notional value of $10.3 billion will expire and settle tomorrow, with details as follows: · BTC options have a notional value of $9.5 billion, a put/call ratio of 0.28, and a max pain point of $64,000; · ETH options carry a notional value of $819 million, a put/call ratio of 0.59, and a max pain point of $1,800.

South Korea's NH Investment & Securities maintained a "Buy" rating on SK Hynix, but cut its target price from 4.1 million won to 3.4 million won. Citing the HBM4 shipment timeline and faster-than-expected adoption of long-term agreements (LTAs), the firm took a cautious stance and slightly lowered its 2027-2028 earnings forecasts. Even so, the focus remains on the sustainable supply-demand and profit levels brought by LTA implementation, rather than industry downturn cycles. Currently, the market still has high skepticism about the effectiveness of LTAs, so more time is needed for validation. Once the LTA's effectiveness is confirmed by the market, it is expected to drive a re-rating of the company's valuation. Meanwhile, although the company's cash generation capacity has improved significantly, the lack of a clear shareholder return framework remains disappointing. If the company clarifies its capital allocation guidelines, this will serve as a key catalyst for stock price gains. Given the company's still-solid fundamentals, the recent stock pullback has been excessive. SK Hynix reported 79.3 trillion won in sales for Q2 2026, up 256.8% year-over-year (YoY) and 50.9% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ); operating profit stood at 60.5 trillion won, surging 557.2% YoY and 61.0% QoQ. The company's results slightly missed market expectations due to product mix adjustments and the initial implementation of LTAs. Looking ahead to Q3 2026, with HBM4 shipments accelerating, bit growth for DRAM and NAND is projected to rise 10.0% and 1.3% QoQ respectively, while combined average selling prices (ASPs) are expected to increase 16.5% and 7.0% QoQ. SK Hynix is forecast to post an operating profit of 76.2 trillion won in Q3 2026, up 569.6% YoY and 25.9% QoQ.

Goldman Sachs’ trading team noted that US equities have recently experienced sharp momentum pullbacks and position liquidation, with the deleveraging process likely in its late stages, though substantive risk reduction has not yet been completed. Global total leverage remains at the 93rd percentile of the past five years, and events such as geopolitical tensions, Federal Reserve policy, and earnings season may continue to keep market volatility high. Goldman Sachs expects US stocks’ upside in August will be constrained by seasonal fund outflows, insufficient institutional risk appetite, and dealer positive Gamma positions, with the market likely to trade in a range in the short term. If the market continues to decline, systematic strategies like CTAs may ramp up selling pressure; the estimated sell size in a downside scenario over the next week is $24.9 billion, far exceeding the ~$2.3 billion buy size in an upside scenario. Corporate buybacks will serve as the most stable buying support in the near term. Currently, about 31% of S&P 500 constituents are in their buyback open windows, a proportion projected to exceed 90% by mid-August. However, as individual stock-index correlation rises, the extreme risk of synchronized market sell-offs is increasing. Goldman Sachs advises investors to proactively purchase protective positions, including going long on market correlation, buying three-month put options on the Russell 2000 ETF, and allocating short-term option protection for retail-favored stocks. Current hedging costs remain reasonable, making them suitable for hedging further market downside risks.

According to an official announcement, Coinbase will launch Brent crude oil and WTI crude oil perpetual contracts. Trading for the BRENTOIL-PERP and WTIOIL-PERP perpetual contract markets will open at or after 17:00 Beijing Time on August 3.