Daily Briefing · 2026-09-19

S. stock markets closed mixed today. Although Treasury yields broke through 5%, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 rose on strength in semiconductor stocks, while the Dow fell slightly. Nvidia's CEO forecast that chip sales would double next year, sending shares surging 3.9% and bolstering investor sentiment. Fed Chair Waller reaffirmed a hawkish stance, signaling at least three additional rate hikes, and U.S. Treasury yields entered the 5% range, deepening the tightening phase. Amid the domestic era of 2000 trillion won in household debt, mortgage rates are also approaching 6%, increasing repayment burdens. In energy markets, Saudi Aramco announced it would suspend crude oil supply to Europe starting next month due to repair issues on a pipeline damaged by a drone attack, introducing an upward variable to international oil prices that had been declining. As the war between the U.S. and Iran drags on, U.S. fiscal burden has exceeded $45.1 billion, and Korean defense and energy companies continue to benefit in Middle Eastern and European markets. The U.S. military was preparing a military operation targeting a Chinese vessel based on faulty intelligence generated by artificial intelligence, but discovered the error just before execution and halted the operation. In domestic industry, Samsung Electronics' enterprise-wide union is being reorganized around the semiconductor division, deepening wage gap conflicts with the non-semiconductor division. Hyosung Heavy Industries succeeded in localizing core HVDC technology, was selected for a KEPCO demonstration project, and secured new orders worth 9.3 trillion won. POSCO International acquired U.S. shale gas assets for 800 billion won, though concerns over increased financial burden have also been raised. In the real estate market, Seoul apartment prices have risen for 84 consecutive weeks, approaching an all-time record, with clear polarization as Gangnam area shows weakness while outer Gangbuk areas surge. Seoul's mayor pointed to declining jeonse supply as a cause of the president's falling approval rating, expanding political conflict between the ruling and opposition parties. In regional areas, unsold housing risk zones are shifting from Daegu and Incheon to Busan, Gwangju, and Jeju. In the financial sector, the merger and acquisition between Lotte Non-Life Insurance and Haetae HTB is set to move forward in earnest in late September, with large-scale capital movement expected. In the crypto asset market, JPYC, a yen-pegged stablecoin listed on Upbit, surged to four times its normal price before crashing, raising concerns over investor losses. The global real-world asset tokenization market has grown rapidly by 85 percent this year, expanding to a scale of 50 trillion won. Commodity funds saw an inflow of 1.2 trillion won over one month, with institutional investors' preference for commodities becoming pronounced. At the Tokyo Game Show, new titles from Korean game companies including Nexon, NCSOFT, and Netmarble drew 2-hour waiting lines, continuing their box-office momentum in the Japanese market. Domestic gasoline prices fell for the 18th consecutive week, holding at around 1858 won per liter, with additional cuts also planned at highway gas stations during the Chuseok holiday. In Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, an additional confirmed case of foot-and-mouth disease was recorded, marking the thirteenth case this year and increasing quarantine cost burdens for livestock farms. Meanwhile, Warren Buffett stepped down as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, announcing a management restructuring after 56 years.