AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Lee Sang-ki, THE AsiaN, Korea
Concerns are growing that single-stock leveraged products tied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are amplifying volatility in South Korea’s stock market. The benchmark KOSPI swung more than 6% intraday on July 9 before closing up 0.62%.
According to NH Investment & Securities, the index has recorded 42 trading days with moves exceeding 3% this year — nearly five times last year’s total. Since single-stock leveraged products were introduced in late May, more than half of the following 30 trading sessions experienced swings of at least 3%.
Trading volume in the leveraged products reached about 63% of the underlying shares’ turnover, prompting analysts to warn of a classic “wag the dog” effect, where derivatives begin influencing the prices of the underlying stocks. Experts are calling for closer regulatory review while balancing market innovation and investor protection.
Nasir Aijaz, Sindh Courier, Pakistan
The Pakistan Navy (PN) and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) rescued 20 crew members from a sinking cargo ship east of Ormara on Thursday, July 9, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Ormara is a port in the Makran coastal region, located 360 kilometres west of Karachi and 230 kilometres east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea.
SPR said the vessel was experiencing severe flooding, and that all crew members were successfully rescued in a swift and coordinated emergency response. PNS Hunain and aerial assets were diverted for the operation after a distress call was received at the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre.
“All 20 crew members were safely recovered from the distressed vessel due to the professionalism displayed by the rescuers,” the ISPR statement said. All 20 rescued crew members are Pakistani nationals and were receiving necessary medical attention.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
A large-scale deep-water inspection programme for oil and gas infrastructure has begun on the Turkmen shelf of the Caspian Sea. UAE-based Geosonic has received a contract to conduct a comprehensive survey of more than 200 kilometres of offshore pipelines.
The project will use advanced technologies including remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), seabed geophysical monitoring, and diagnostics of cathodic protection systems to assess the technical condition of pipelines and identify potential risks. The inspection aims to detect hidden defects, monitor the stability of underwater structures, and improve the safety and reliability of hydrocarbon transportation networks.
The initiative is being implemented amid expanding energy cooperation between Turkmenistan and UAE-based companies, highlighting growing international interest in the development of Caspian offshore resources.
ⓒ THE AsiaN | All rights reserved
This content is copyrighted by THE AsiaN. If you wish to share it, please do so without modifying the original text and always include the source link. Unauthorized editing or sharing without proper attribution may result in legal consequences.
THE AsiaN Korean : 아자뉴스바이트 20260710 – 아시아엔 THE AsiaN
