BANK OF KOREA meets Thursday with markets divided between another August hike and a pause after July's 25bp increase to 2.75%. An August move would be a pre-emptive tightening aimed at curbing inflation and preserving financial stability, and would signal policy tightening ahead of the Fed. NH Investment & Securities says the August decision will set the cycle's tone—pre-emptive versus cautious; iM Securities argues delaying to October offers little benefit and the cost of delay is rising. Hold

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said it will boost network and data security, deepen protection of critical information infrastructure and important datasets, and raise security standards in AI, the industrial internet and connected vehicles. MIIT urged building a network-and-data security framework for new-type industrialization and improving network resilience.

Options traders are positioning for higher volatility around the November US midterms, even as Nvidia earnings and PBOC Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech remain the week’s headline events. Traders monitoring VIX-linked futures say hedging demand for S&P 500 volatility has increased: September VIX futures trade near 17.4, October near 19.0 and November near 19.7. Little Harbor Advisors co‑PM Matthew Thompson said: "With the US election approaching, you're entering a window where the election will affect the VIX. You can already see that upward tilt in the VIX futures term structure." A CBOE Global Markets analyst study shows since 1945 realized volatility in midterm years exceeded the prior year 80% of the time, rising on average 3.5 volatility points; when the White House and Congress were controlled by the same party, realized volatility rose about 6 volatility points on average.