Markets

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 162,000 in August, nearly triple the 55,000 consensus estimate, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The gain was well above the 31,000 monthly average over the previous 12 months. Previous payroll readings were revised higher. June employment increased by 31,000, up from the initially …

The Schwab Trading Activity Index rose to a multi-year high of 59.12 in June, up 7.33% from 55.08 in May, as retail investors on the Schwab platform used mid-month market pullbacks as buying opportunities. Net buys outpaced net sells by more than two to one, with the heaviest buying concentrated during the market retreats in …

Latin American investors are increasing allocations to globally oriented exchange-traded funds as strong cross-border equity returns, low costs and growing availability through regional exchanges make the vehicles more accessible to institutions and individuals. Latin American pension funds and onshore mutual funds held $195 billion in cross-border ETFs as of March, according to Cerulli Associates’ “Latin …

Cohen & Steers has launched the Cohen & Steers Real Assets Active ETF, expanding the firm’s actively managed exchange-traded fund lineup with a diversified strategy spanning listed real estate, infrastructure, natural resources and commodities in a single vehicle. The ETF trades on the NYSE Arca under the ticker CSRA. “We believe we have entered an …

Moreton Capital Partners, a physical commodities provider, has launched a new fund targeting growing supply chain and weather-related concerns, as the “super El Niño” looms.  The MCP Special Opportunities Fund, which is targeting a $500 million capital raise by the end of September, aims to capitalize on essential supply chain disruptions and food inflation within the commodities markets, which are widely driven by the El Niño threats.  The vehicle, which …

Moreton Capital Partners (MCP) is launching the MCP Global Commodities Alpha Fund, a market-neutral strategy targeting an initial $1 billion in capital across more than 70 global commodity futures and options spanning agriculture, energy and metals.  Led by CIO and co-founder Les Finemore, the fund is designed to deliver consistent risk-adjusted returns with a target Sharpe ratio above 1.5 and …

Executive Summary The Treasury market is delivering an unusually divided assessment of the U.S. economy. The 10-year/2-year spread narrowed to 39 basis points last week, down sharply from 50 basis points a week earlier and approaching its 2026 low of 22 basis points. At the same time, the 10-year/three-month spread stood at 83 basis points, …

Executive Summary The Treasury Department’s decision to double long-end bond buybacks produced the desired initial market response, but investors should not confuse a successful squeeze on crowded positions with a durable change in the interest rate outlook. The action can reduce the amount of duration the private market must absorb at the margin. In that …

Ripple, a cryptocurrency firm, will acquire GTreasury, the treasury management systems supplier for $1 billion, in a move that connects the increasing digital asset economy and corporate finance.  Buffalo Grove, IL-based GTreasury is a software provider overseeing liquidity, payments, risk exposure, and cash forecasting for over four decades.  In part of the deal, Ripple will …

Forward Industries, a cryptocurrency firm, has filed an automatic shelf registration statement, launching a $4 billion at-the-market equity offering program with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The funds raised from the equity program will be allocated towards boosting Solana’s token, SOL, Forward said.  The offering allows Forward to sell new market shares through Cantor Fitzgerald, …

OpenWorld Ltd. and Blockchain.com have entered a strategic partnership to expand real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and institutional access across global digital asset markets. As part of the agreement, Blockchain.com has also made a strategic investment in OpenWorld. The multi-year collaboration will integrate Blockchain.com’s trading, liquidity, and balance sheet capabilities directly into OpenWorld’s tokenization and advisory …

Galaxy Digital has made a strategic investment in Digital Prime Technologies, the institutional digital asset technology firm behind Tokenet, a lending platform developed in partnership with EquiLend. The investment extends an existing relationship: Galaxy participated as a launch client when Tokenet went live in May 2026. Tokenet applies securities lending workflows, risk controls, and lifecycle …