Hedge funds are aggressively buying large volumes of U.S. semiconductor stocks, betting that the sell-off in the semiconductor sector is coming to an end.

According to surveys by foreign media, economists expect the Bank of Korea (BOK) to implement its first interest rate hike in over three years on Thursday, with another hike before the end of the year. South Korea’s June inflation rate rose to 3.2%, hitting a 2.5-year high and exceeding the BOK’s 2% target for four consecutive months. Inflation is projected to average around 3% in the second half of this year, paving the way for the start of a tightening cycle. Strong economic growth, rising housing prices, and persistently high household debt have given policymakers room to tighten policy. South Korea’s economy grew at its fastest pace in nearly six years in the first quarter, and BOK Governor Rhee Chang-yong stated that given elevated oil prices due to Middle East conflicts, inflation is expected to stay above the BOK’s target for a considerable period, making interest rate hikes necessary. In a survey conducted from July 7 to 13, all but one of the 37 economists polled expect the BOK to raise its benchmark interest rate to 2.75% on July 16. The majority of surveyed economists (28 out of 31) forecast another rate hike by the end of the fourth quarter, pushing the policy rate to 3.00%. One economist projects the benchmark rate will reach 3.25%, while the remaining two predict it will stay at 2.75%. The median forecast shows the BOK will raise its benchmark rate to 3.25% in the first quarter of 2027 and maintain that level at least until the end of next year, a 25 basis point increase from the forecast in the May survey.

On-chain analyst Ai Yi (@ai_9684xtpa) monitored that the newly created address 0x2e8…6f5f4 withdrew 37,000 ETH from Gemini 10 hours ago, worth $65.66 million, and subsequently staked the funds in batches to the Eth2 Beacon Chain.

Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin stated that Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) gas fees should remain low to support ecosystem growth. He projected that tens of thousands of companies will deploy on Ethereum L1, Layer 2 (L2), and permissioned Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) networks over the next two to three years, with cross-layer interoperability being achieved. Lubin added that mass adoption will boost ETH’s monetary premium and lift L1 total fee revenue; staking and other locking mechanisms will reduce circulating supply, and if ETH returns to a net burn state, its value is poised to rise further.

SemiAnalysis analyst Ray Wang told CNBC in an interview yesterday that HBM demand will be so strong in 2026 that Samsung and SK Hynix are continuously shifting wafer production capacity to HBM while reducing investment in general DRAM—even though general DRAM currently offers higher price margins. Wang noted that amid HBM’s supply shortage, both Korean manufacturers are converting all their HBM output into profits, so Samsung gaining HBM market share does not necessarily mean SK Hynix will suffer losses. The limiting factor here is wafer production output, not market demand. Regarding DRAM maker Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT), Wang said the company already holds around 10% of the DRAM market share (measured by bits), a solid position in the fast-growing market. However, CXMT lags roughly three years in process technology and three to four years in HBM development. Wang expects most new supply to arrive in the second half of 2027, with additional supply coming in 2028. Still, he believes supply will remain insufficient in 2028, with only a slight improvement over 2027.

Mirae Asset Securities Korea released a report stating that SK Hynix’s operating profit forecast for the second quarter of 2026 has been cut by 12%. The average selling price (ASP) assumptions for DRAM and NAND were lowered by 8 and 5 percentage points respectively. The brokerage estimates that approximately 50% of the company’s revenue is covered by long-term supply agreements (LTAs). Mirae Asset Securities Korea maintained its target price for SK Hynix at 4.2 million won, signaling a 128% upside potential.

According to analyst Darkfost, since Bitcoin’s last all-time high in October 2025, cumulative selling pressure across the entire meme coin sector on Binance has topped $1 billion. The net trading volume of meme coins on the platform has hit -$1.21 billion. Darkfost notes this reflects the massive selling pressure weighing on the crypto ecosystem’s highest-risk assets, clearly demonstrating the severe toll the sector has endured amid market corrections.