AI demand boosted Korea's semiconductor exports and profits for Samsung and SK hynix; shipments to China and the US rose. Yet policy risks from U.S. tariffs loom despite a record 2025 level. Abstract: The article reports that South Korea's semiconductor exports surged in early April, driven by AI-related demand that increased memory-chip shipments and profits for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Exports rose to US$18.3 billion in April 1–20, with total exports up 49.4% to US$50.4 billion and a US$10.4 billion trade surplus. China and the United States were primary growth markets, and 2025 semiconductor exports reached a record US$173.4 billion, up over 20% year over year. However, policy uncertainties persist: a 25% U.S. tariff on certain advanced computing chips could affect sentiment, memory-chip exports being excluded, and tensions in the Middle East and broader tariff policies could weigh on the outlook.

Gate News update: The Gate TradFi Stocks section is now live, offering four stock CFD trading pairs—IWM (Russell 2000 ETF), VOO (S&P 500 ETF—Vanguard), IVV (S&P 500 ETF—iShares), and XPENG (XPeng Inc.—W 09868.HK). All pairs support 4x fixed leverage, with a minimum order size of 0.1. This section covers CFD derivatives trading for traditional financial assets. Users can trade in the TradFi section on the Gate platform.

Grayscale has submitted an amendment for its S-1 registration to the SEC for a HYPE-based ETF. If approved, it will trade on Nasdaq, offering direct exposure to HYPE tokens through a trust and may include staking income.

From 18:00 to 18:15 (UTC) on 2026-04-17, the BTC price fluctuated and trended downward within the 77097.4 to 77573.2 USDT range. Over these 15 minutes, the return rate recorded -0.49%, and the amplitude reached 0.61%. During this period, market trading was active; short-term volatility was amplified, and trading attention increased significantly. The main driver behind this abnormal move is that the overall leverage structure is bearish and long positions are fragile. At present, the BTC perpetual contract funding rate has remained negative for 11 consecutive days, indicating that the bears have the upper hand in the market. In addition, futures open interest (OI) is about 628.3 billion USDT, which is at a historical high. During the anomaly window, trading volume increased noticeably. On-chain data shows large amounts of BTC flowing from long-term holder addresses to exchanges, suggesting that active sell orders may have triggered longs to passively reduce positions, amplifying downward price pressure. Moreover, institutional positioning enthusiasm in the mainstream contract market has cooled off; liquidity boundaries have tightened, causing large-trade activity to have an amplified effect on market volatility. In the options market, implied volatility rose to 39.81%, increasing demand for downside protection and reflecting a defensive posture among market participants. Macro-environment volatility and some capital flowing into safe-haven assets, together with the recent regulatory uncertainty-related historical events, reinforced the move, pushing overall market risk appetite lower. Current BTC leverage risks still remain. If, in the future, there are concentrated sell-offs, volatility may be further amplified. It is recommended to continue monitoring sustained high OI levels, the persistence of negative funding rates, and on-chain transfers of large amounts of funds, and to stay alert for whale behavior and any disruptions to market sentiment caused by macro-policy developments. For subsequent price action, please watch key support levels, institutional and whale on-chain moves, and relevant global market news, and guard against short-term risks.

The NYSE proposed a rule change to allow eligible securities to trade in a tokenized form, following similar SEC-approved Nasdaq rules. Tokenized securities must match traditional ones in identifiers and rights, initially focusing on Russell 1000 Index constituents and ETFs, with T+1 settlement and existing regulations.

A report by Vimeo reveals that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are prompting trade restructuring in the Gulf through alternative logistics methods, driven by increased war risk insurance, congestion, and governance uncertainty.

A trader turned 11 SOL into $337,000 in under two hours by using three wallets to buy 158.51 million ASTEROID tokens and later selling most for 1,539 SOL, while retaining 23.76 million tokens worth about $202,000.

South Korea dominates global cryptocurrency trading with 30% volume, primarily in altcoins, while Japan's market shows higher Bitcoin liquidity but lower overall trade volume.

Singapore's MS Capital has secured a $1 billion investment mandate for Chinese equities from a Middle Eastern sovereign fund, highlighting rising interest in quantitative strategies amid regional volatility. The firm managed $1.5 billion and plans expansions.

Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan reported strong economic performance driven by exports, services, and goods trade, alongside steady consumption and rising private investment. He emphasized the city's robust stock market and the need for financial stability to enhance competitiveness.