Korean battery cell makers are expected to post third-quarter operating profit above market forecasts, helped by rising energy storage system shipments in North America that increase production subsidies under AMPC and by one-off income such as customer compensation. Industry expectations are for profits to rise from the previous quarter despite weak European EV battery shipments and a lower exchange rate. The pace of recovery may differ by company depending on when North American ESS lines start operating.

U.S. regulators are moving ahead with crypto oversight after the Clarity Act stalled in the Senate, issuing a joint SEC-CFTC interpretation on six tokens and approving listings of 3-times leveraged ETFs. Bitcoin recovered to around $86,000 on a weekly close, while XRP drew attention ahead of Evernode’s Nasdaq debut. In South Korea, the government plans tighter monitoring of cross-border digital-asset transfers, and financial firms are accelerating partnerships ahead of a tokenised securities regime due in February.