A CXMT short whale has spent over $2.04 million in funding fees, with an unrealized loss of $4.3 million on its positions.

Binance founder CZ stated that statistically, storing cryptocurrency on exchanges is safer than self-custody. Here are some thoughts: Assuming the data is accurate, my impression is that Willy has long been a staunch advocate of self-custody. For centralized exchanges, hack-related data is easier to collect, as such incidents typically make major news. In contrast, self-custody hacks and cryptocurrency loss events often go unreported, making it difficult to gather such data. For exchanges, some collapsed platforms reduce overall data quality. Binance (and several other exchanges) have long provided users with protection against hacks. I’m not claiming either approach is superior. Different methods carry distinct risk profiles (and product offerings) and may suit different groups. A balanced approach might be optimal. CZ cited a tweet from crypto analyst Willy Woo, which shows that 1.57 million BTC were lost via self-custody, while 1.51 million BTC were lost on exchanges.

South Korea Exchange said today that as sharp market volatility erodes investor sentiment, South Korean individual investors are rapidly exiting the stock market. Data shows individual investors accounted for roughly 31.2% to 31.5% of total trading volume on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) in July, a sharp drop from 48.1% in January. The proportion has fallen by 16 to 17 percentage points in just six months. South Korea Exchange noted that even minor rebounds in the index now trigger sell-offs, as investors rush to recoup their principal and exit, accelerating capital outflows from the domestic market. Since June, individual investors have no longer been the dominant force in market trading. In July, foreign investors accounted for roughly 38% to 39% of KOSPI trading volume, significantly outpacing retail investors. Analysts point out that the KOSPI’s heavy reliance on two leading firms—Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix—is a key reason behind individual investors’ retreat from the South Korean market.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index closed up 1.62% at 6358.95 points, after falling more than 2% intraday. The South Korean KOSDAQ index rose 5.88% at close, marking three consecutive trading days of gains and triggering a buyer-side program trading suspension mechanism during the session. SK Hynix edged up 0.63%, while Samsung Electronics gained 0.2%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.32% at 63957.53 points, with Kioxia surging over 4%.

JPMorgan’s latest report states that it remains bullish on a "tech + cyclical" mix for stock allocations, while recommending adding healthcare as a third investment pillar to reduce the overall portfolio’s correlation with macro factors. The report points out that the tech sector currently offers oversold rebound opportunities. The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of U.S. "Magnificent Seven" (excluding semiconductor companies) is two standard deviations below its average since 2018, and a return to the historical average could bring around 56% upside potential. JPMorgan believes market concerns over AI investment returns are excessive: order backlogs at large-scale cloud computing firms have grown by roughly 150%, outpacing the ~80% growth in capital expenditures. It favors mean reversion opportunities in AI-related assets, with particular attention to AI targets in Asia-Pacific markets like South Korea. For the cyclical sector, JPMorgan recommends shifting from financials and consumer stocks to industrials, arguing that industrial firms will benefit from global economic improvement, earnings recovery, and valuation re-rating driven by the AI theme. Additionally, the report advises allocating to the healthcare sector as a defensive asset, given its low correlation with the macro cycle, which helps reduce portfolio volatility. On emerging markets, JPMorgan is tactically bullish on Chinese Hong Kong-listed stocks (H-shares), expecting them to benefit from AI infrastructure construction and commercialization trends, though their gains lag behind those of South Korea, Taiwan, and A-shares. It also suggests investors take partial profits from some overextended, crowded AI supply chain targets. The report further recommends monitoring Asian refining companies, as geopolitical uncertainties are pushing Asian refining margins to historic highs.

Citrini analyst Jukan cited data from Counterpoint Research, noting that in the second quarter of 2026 DRAM market share figures, SK Hynix’s revenue-based market share only leads Micron by roughly 1 percentage point. Jukan said this result deviates from prior market expectations, mainly because HBM3E prices did not continue to rise—instead, they were reduced after renegotiation—and the delayed launch of HBM4 also impacted SK Hynix’s growth outlook. Additionally, SK Hynix signed long-term supply agreements (LTAs) earlier, with its fixed supply prices reportedly lower than competitors, which also affected its revenue market share performance. The market had widely expected that, leveraging its HBM3E supply advantage, SK Hynix would expand its lead amid the AI storage demand growth cycle. However, the latest data shows Micron is narrowing the gap with SK Hynix.

On the 3rd, U.S. sources citing Iranian and U.S. officials reported that Iran and Oman are closing in on an agreement regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. sources, the proposed deal would see vessels entering the Persian Gulf use a shipping lane near Iran’s coast controlled by Tehran, while outgoing vessels would take a lane closer to Oman. Several Iranian officials said passing ships would be required to pay a "service fee", with the revenue split equally between Iran and Oman. However, a U.S. official briefed on the negotiations called the Iranian officials’ account "inaccurate", noting that any "temporary" shipping lanes established in the Strait of Hormuz do not require Iran’s approval, and no fees will be charged to passing vessels.