U.S. Dollar Steadies Ahead of Fed Minutes as Markets Eye Policy Divisions 
Federal Reserve Begins Treasury Bill Purchases to Stabilize Reserves and Money Markets 
Micron to Buy Powerchip Fab for $1.8 Billion, Shares Surge Nearly 10% 
South Korea Inflation Rises to 2.3% in December, Matching Market Expectations 
China Manufacturing PMI Rebounds in December, Offering Boost to Economic Growth Outlook 
South Korea Factory Output Misses Forecasts in November Amid Ongoing Economic Uncertainty 
Forex Markets Hold Steady as Traders Await Fed Minutes Amid Thin Year-End Volumes 
Tesla Revives Dojo Supercomputer Project With AI5 Chip at the Core 
South Korean Won Slides Despite Government Efforts to Stabilize Currency Markets 
U.S. Dollar Slides Toward Biggest Annual Loss Since 2017 as 2026 Risks Loom 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Plans China Visit Amid AI Chip Market Uncertainty 
U.S. Dollar Starts 2026 Weak as Yen, Euro and Sterling Hold Firm Amid Rate Cut Expectations 
Court Allows Expert Testimony Linking Johnson & Johnson Talc Products to Ovarian Cancer 
OpenAI Launches Stargate Community Plan to Offset Energy Costs and Support Local Power Infrastructure 
U.S. Stock Index Futures Steady as Markets Await Fed Policy Clues in Holiday-Thinned Trade 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Tech and Financial Stocks Weigh on Markets Amid Thin Holiday Trading 
Bithumb Korea reportedly raked in huge revenues from the Netflix hit drama series “Squid Game.” The leading blockchain platform in the country was said to have earned more than 100% through its investment in Bucket Studio, a local media company.
Bucket Studio Co. holds a stake in Artist Company, the agency of the “Squid Game” lead actor Lee Jung Jae. While the studio company has no direct link to the Netflix hit series, it is also earning through the 15% share it owns in Artist Company.
Now, since Bithumb Korea has invested in Bucket Studio, it is also naturally raking in profits. According to The Korea Times, the crypto exchange company spent around ₩15 billion or $12.6 million as an investment into Bucket’s mezzanine financing in May. With this investment, Bithumb has become the second-largest stakeholder at the said media company.
The share price of Bucket Studio rose to ₩4,540 late last week. This is said to be an increase of about 2.5 times within just a month as the stock price was ₩2,130 at closing on Aug. 31. The surge has, in turn, raised the studio’s monetary value, so the shares owned by Bithumb Korea have ballooned to more than double in the past four months and have reportedly reached ₩37 billion.
In any case, “Squid Game” is now the no. 1 series on Netflix U.S., and this feat made it the first Korean drama to achieve this rank. As per the Korea Joongang Daily, based on the survey by FlixPatrol, a streaming analytics firm, the survival drama already surpassed the British teen comedy series “Sex Education” that has always topped the U.S. Netflix ranking chart.
Aside from the United States, “Squid Game” is also popular in 14 other overseas regions such as Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Kuwait, and Taiwan. Despite getting some harsh reviews from critics, the series still scored 8.3 out of 10 rating on IMDb.
Meanwhile, “Squid Game” also stars Oh Young Soo, Jung Jo Yeon, Park Hae Soo, Wi Ha Joon Kim Joo Ryoung, Heo Sung Tae, and Anupam Tripathi. It was directed by Hwang Dong Hyuk, who also helmed other hits, including “Miss Granny” and “The Fortress.”
