GMT EIGHT - OPPORTUNITIES IN CHINA

In March, the annual US PPI was 4%, lower than the expected 4.6% and higher than the previous value of 3.40%. The monthly US PPI in March was 0.5%, lower than the expected 1.1% and revised down from the previous value of 0.7% to 0.5%. The annual US core PPI in March was 3.8%, lower than the expected 4.1% and revised down from the previous value of 3.9% to 3.8%. The monthly US core PPI in March was 0.1%, lower than the expected 0.5% and revised down from the previous value of 0.5% to 0.3%.

U.S. Senator SCOTT: It is expected that Washington's nomination will be approved.

Chow Tai Fook: Partial gold product brand usage fee increased to 24 yuan/gram.

Zhou Dasheng announced that in order to comprehensively promote retail transformation, upgrade products, and empower franchise businesses deeply to enhance brand competitiveness, the company has decided to adjust some product brand usage fees. Starting from April 14, 2026, the brand usage fee for gold products priced by gram in Zhou Dasheng's main brand and classic franchise channels will be unified adjusted from 12 yuan/gram to 24 yuan/gram; the brand usage fee for gold products priced by piece will remain unchanged. The company stated that the impact of this adjustment on future performance is uncertain, and the final results will be reported in the regular reports. Investors are advised to pay attention to investment risks.

JPMorgan Chase reported a first-quarter revenue of $49.836 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10%; adjusted earnings per share were $5.94, a year-on-year increase of 17%.

BlackRock's first-quarter revenue was $6.98 billion, compared to the market's general expectation of $6.46 billion.

Southbound funds sold a net of HKD 2.017 billion today.

Regarding the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, CNOOC and Diaper Technology received net purchases of 347 million Hong Kong dollars and 31.9286 million Hong Kong dollars respectively; Yingfu Fund ranked first in net selling with an amount of 2.564 billion Hong Kong dollars. As for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, Bubble Mart and Tencent Holdings received net purchases of 520 million Hong Kong dollars and 185 million Hong Kong dollars respectively; Yingfu Fund ranked first in net selling with an amount of 597 million Hong Kong dollars.

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange will organize a collective performance briefing for private listed companies on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

On April 20, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange will organize a collective performance explanation meeting for the listed private companies in Shenzhen under the theme of "Innovating Activation Energy, Composing a New Chapter in the Development of Private Enterprises". Companies such as Yingboer, Jinli Permanent Magnet, Strong Ray Technology, and Boshijie will be invited to participate. At that time, each company will communicate with investors through online and offline channels, analyze their performance, answer investors' questions, listen to opinions and suggestions, and help investors better understand the company. We welcome all investors to continue to pay attention and actively participate. (Shenzhen Stock Exchange)

The largest scientific and intelligent computing cluster in our country has been put into operation.

Today, the largest scientific intelligence computing cluster in our country was put into use at the national supercomputing internet core node located in Zhengzhou. This marks a key breakthrough for our country in the field of computing power infrastructure for artificial intelligence-driven scientific research, and will help our country seize the high ground in the application of artificial intelligence industry.

According to reports, sources said that the US-Iran negotiations will focus on easing tensions and discussing the related steps to reach a broader agreement. Due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, they requested anonymity. It is currently unclear which officials will be involved in the negotiations, and how long the negotiations will last.

Apple's new affordable computer, the MacBook Neo, has achieved early success in the consumer market. The first batch of products is reported to have sold out, leading Apple to urgently add a large number of orders to suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron. The MacBook Neo began global sales on March 11th. It is rumored that the delivery time for this notebook, priced at $599 (starting price in China is 4599 RMB), has been extended to May. Apple has also increased the sales forecast for the MacBook Neo from 7 million units to 10 million units. At the same time, the limited inventory of the A18 Pro chip used in the MacBook Neo has become a key constraint on the production capacity of this notebook.

Early morning futures market closing.

Xylene rose by 4.06%, nickel rose by 2.67%, the European line futures index fell by 2.47%, rapeseed fell by 2.30%, and lithium carbonate rose by 2.30%.

Cheer Holding, Inc. (CHR.US) under its subsidiary Yuelingxi AI has launched a new translation feature + enhanced overall AI assistant capabilities.

On April 14, 2026, Yoojoy Holdings (CHR.US), a leading domestic provider of technology-driven next-generation mobile Internet infrastructure and platform services, announced the official release of Yoolingxi 3.1.0, further enhancing the multi-modal AI ecosystem.

Benson expressed that he believes the recent price increase will not be "embedded in inflation expectations."

"Heilongjiang Province Supports the Development of the Intelligent Robot Industry with Several Policy Measures" was approved after consultation.

On the 13th, the Heilongjiang Provincial Government held a party meeting and executive meeting to review and pass the "Heilongjiang Province's Support for the Development of the Intelligent Robot Industry." The meeting pointed out that the development of the intelligent robot industry is an important measure to form new productive forces and promote high-quality development. It is necessary to seize development opportunities, accelerate the research, development, manufacturing, promotion, and application of intelligent robots, and effectively transform scientific research advantages and industrial advantages into economic advantages and development advantages. It is necessary to solidly promote organized scientific research and the transformation of organized scientific and technological achievements, make good use of the industry-university-research collaborative innovation mechanism, and accelerate the industrialization of key technologies such as intelligent robot core materials and embodied intelligent models. It is necessary to promote industrial agglomeration development, strengthen collaboration and support along the industrial chain, and build and strengthen intelligent robot industrial parks. It is necessary to strengthen innovative application scenarios, focus on creating typical application scenarios in industries such as industrial manufacturing, agricultural services, snow and ice tourism, and smart healthcare, and carry out first launch, first show, and first exhibition activities. It is necessary to strengthen the support of development factors, strengthen the construction of data bases, actively cultivate professional talents, increase financial support, and promote the rapid development of intelligent robot enterprises.

Shenzhen Component Index rose by 1.00% to 14552.011 points; Shanghai Composite Index rose by 0.51% to 4008.857 points; ChiNext Index rose by 1.17% to 3517.214 points.

Pointing the sword at Iran's money bag! The US "close proximity blockade" forces Iran to make concessions. Experts say Trump's "three big bargaining chips" have revealed two moves.

What does blocking the oil export route through the Strait of Hormuz in that region actually mean? What is Trump trying to achieve?

The financing balance of the two markets increased by 16.12 billion yuan compared to the previous day.

As of April 13, the financing balance of the Shanghai Stock Exchange reported 1,323.54 billion yuan, an increase of 7.893 billion yuan from the previous trading day; the financing balance of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange reported 1,279.86 billion yuan, an increase of 8.119 billion yuan from the previous trading day; the total financing balance of the two markets was 2,603.42 billion yuan, an increase of 16.012 billion yuan from the previous trading day.

MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1% to 248.86 points.

BlackRock shifts towards super-restricted stocks! Calling for the return of risk preference, tightly grasping the direction of semi-conductors, energy independence, and power infrastructure.

BlackRock's official weekly report explicitly states that the institution has reallocated its position on US stocks, as well as South Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese stocks, and even the overall emerging market stock allocation back to overweight. Recently, top Wall Street institutions including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley have become more optimistic on the outlook for the future stock market at the margin.

According to CNBC, Federal Reserve nominee Powell has submitted the financial disclosure documents required before the Senate confirmation hearing.

The three major US stock indexes closed higher.

US stock market's three major indexes closed higher, with the S&P 500 rising by approximately 1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 0.59%, and the Nasdaq Composite up by 1.21%. Large-cap tech stocks saw widespread gains, with Oracle rising by over 12%, Intel by over 4%, Microsoft by over 3%, Broadcom by over 2%, Google, Tesla, Micron by over 1%, and Meta, Amazon, Nvidia, Netflix, AMD closing slightly higher. Apple was down slightly.

The three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange rose by 3.1% to $3608.50 per ton, hitting a new high since March 2022.

According to Al Jazeera, the US military has now begun intercepting ships entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The Dow Jones opened down 0.6%, the S&P 500 fell 0.2%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%.

Goldman Sachs fell 2.8%, with record high Q1 trading revenue, but bond trading performance was lackluster. Revolution Medicines surged 143.2%, with success in late-stage trial of pancreatic cancer drug. Leggett & Platt rose 8.4%, announcing acquisition agreement with bedding manufacturer Sominigroup. Replimune dropped 63.2%, with FDA rejecting listing application for RP1 again. Best Buy fell 4.3%, with Goldman Sachs downgrading its rating to "sell."

OPEC will lower the global oil demand forecast for the second quarter by 500,000 barrels per day, but the demand estimate for the second half of the year is expected to be correspondingly raised, keeping the annual demand forecast unchanged.

The central bank: the incremental scale of social financing in the first quarter accumulated to 14.83 trillion yuan, which was 354.5 billion yuan less than the same period last year.

According to the data from the central bank, preliminary statistics show that the increment of social financing in the first quarter of 2026 accumulated to 14.83 trillion yuan, which is 354.5 billion yuan less than the same period last year. Among them, the RMB loans granted to the real economy increased by 8.9 trillion yuan, a decrease of 796 billion yuan compared to the previous year; the foreign currency loans granted to the real economy in terms of RMB increased by 852 billion yuan, an increase of 181.9 billion yuan compared to the previous year; entrusted loans decreased by 657 billion yuan, a decrease of 71.2 billion yuan compared to the previous year; trust loans increased by 132 billion yuan, a decrease of 39.9 billion yuan compared to the previous year; undiscounted bank acceptance bills increased by 579.7 billion yuan, an increase of 49.7 billion yuan compared to the previous year; net financing of corporate bonds was 1.05 trillion yuan, an increase of 521.3 billion yuan compared to the previous year; net financing of government bonds was 3.54 trillion yuan, a decrease of 330.3 billion yuan compared to the previous year; domestic stock financing for non-financial enterprises was 117.3 billion yuan, an increase of 21.1 billion yuan compared to the previous year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduces the arrangement of the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to China.

At the invitation of Wang Yi, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov will make an official visit to China from April 14th to 15th. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun said at a regular press conference on the 13th that during Lavrov's visit, the two foreign ministers will exchange views on the development of bilateral relations, cooperation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common concern, coordinating positions. "China and Russia are comprehensive strategic partners in the new era. In recent years, the two countries have continuously deepened their permanent good-neighborly and friendly relations, expanded comprehensive strategic cooperation, adhered to mutually beneficial cooperation and win-win outcomes, maintained close communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, and made important contributions to promoting a more equal and orderly multipolar world, reforming and improving global governance, and safeguarding international fairness and justice," Guo Jiajun said. He introduced that during Lavrov's visit, the two foreign ministers will exchange views on the development of bilateral relations, cooperation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common concern, coordinating positions. "We will release timely information on the specific details of this visit, please stay tuned." Guo Jiajun said.

Meta is building the AI version of Mark Zuckerberg.

Meta is currently developing an artificial intelligence version of Mark Zuckerberg, which can interact with employees on his behalf. This is one of the important steps in this tech giant's comprehensive transition to AI. According to four sources familiar with the matter, the $1.6 trillion company has been developing AI 3D digital humans that are photo-realistic and can interact in real time. Three of the sources mentioned that the AI version of Zuckerberg has been prioritized as a project recently. The sources also revealed that Zuckerberg himself has personally been involved in training and testing this animated AI image, which will be able to provide dialogue and feedback to employees in the future. The training materials include the billionaire's behavior, tone, public statements, and recent thoughts on company strategy, all aimed at helping employees get closer to the founder by interacting with AI.

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) is facing an "epic" short seller: analysts warn that the stock price could potentially plummet by 93% to $25.

Johnson's bearish stance is mainly based on Tesla's expected price-to-earnings ratio of about 175 times. He believes that this valuation level is difficult to sustain given the company's current performance.

In the afternoon, all three major indices turned red, with over 2000 individual stocks in the entire market seeing an increase.

English media: Trump's "lockdown order" forces the suspension of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the British shipping media "Lloyd's List" reported on the 12th, after US President Trump announced a blockade against Iran, shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill. The report stated that before Trump announced the "blockade order," the number of oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz had slightly increased on the 11th, and although the shipping volume in the strait decreased on the 12th, it was still passable. However, "after Trump announced the implementation of a maritime blockade, all traffic seems to have stopped," with at least two ships that were originally leaving the strait turning back. US Central Command said on the 12th that it will begin implementing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports at 10 am on the 13th, Eastern Time, in accordance with the president's orders. A report released by the UK-based maritime analysis company Windward on the 12th stated that the US action has introduced a second level of control to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with ships potentially facing restrictions not only from Iran but also from US military actions. The Strait of Hormuz is in a "controlled and unstable" state, with a growing risk of direct conflict between nation-state actors.

Inflation "reignites"! The breakdown of US-Iran negotiations shatters expectations of a rate cut, prompting bond traders to urgently delay expectations of a rate cut until 2027.

The failure of peace negotiations between the United States and Iran further shifted the focus of the bond market towards inflation and reinforced expectations that interest rates will remain high for a longer period of time.

Polycrystalline silicon continuous main contract rose 6% intraday, now reported at 33,850.00 yuan.

Sichuan: During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, a number of major scientific and technological projects will be implemented in the fields of artificial intelligence, advanced materials, aviation equipment, low-altitude intelligence, optoelectronic technology, new energy storage, nuclear medicine, etc.

Sichuan Province has released the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. It proposes to focus on the development of key industries and the improvement of people's livelihoods through technological advancements, optimizing the layout of key research areas, and strengthening technology research and development from 1 to 10. Around the fields of artificial intelligence, advanced materials, aviation equipment, low-altitude intelligence, optoelectronic technology, new energy storage, nuclear medicine, etc., a number of major scientific and technological projects will be implemented, with extraordinary measures taken to promote technological research and development, transformation of achievements, standard formulation, industry incubation, and accelerate the application of research results and product iteration. Strengthen the technological breakthroughs of key industrial chains, and promote the rapid breakthrough of key core technologies in areas such as integrated circuits, industrial mother machines, basic software, biomanufacturing, and green hydrogen along the entire chain. Strengthen technological research and development for ensuring strategic security, enhance the scientific and technological support capabilities in the fields of food security, exploration and development of strategic mineral resources, ecological environment protection and restoration, major construction projects, and geographic information security. Promote technological innovation in areas such as health and sanitation, urban construction, and emergency safety, and improve the level of scientific and technological supply for people's livelihoods.

Sichuan Province's "Eleventh Five-Year Plan": Support Chengdu and Mianyang to carry out scientific and technological financial reform and innovation, and promote comprehensive pilot projects of intellectual property financial ecological system.

Sichuan Province has released the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, which proposes improving policies and measures to encourage long-term capital investment and dare to invest, making good use of various funds and providing financing services for the entire life cycle of fundraising, project investment, post-investment management, and exit and realization. Promote the enterprise "innovation point system" and drive the linkage of science and technology finance "equity loan bond guarantee" to empower technology-based enterprises with increased credit. Guide more eligible technology-based enterprises, equity investment institutions, and financial institutions to issue technology innovation bonds. Implement a special guarantee plan for technological innovation, optimize the "Tianfu Science and Technology Loan", and strengthen technological insurance service innovation. Support Chengdu and Mianyang to carry out financial reform and innovation in science and technology, and promote comprehensive pilot projects in the financial ecology of intellectual property rights.

The Hang Seng Index fell more than 1%, currently at 25633.031 points; The Hang Seng Tech Index is now down 0.810%.

The US stock earnings season kicks off amid the turmoil of Middle East conflicts! The profitability of banks, technology, and consumer sectors will determine the fate of the bull market.

Ceasefire can hardly conceal the big profit test! The earnings season coincides with the surge in oil prices, and the prospects of banks, technology, and consumption have become the strongest narrative for trading in the US stock market.

From the ceasefire frenzy to the "stagflation" storm sweeping once again, the narrative of the bull market in stocks and bonds faces a major test.

Multiple clear signs indicate that global inflation is heating up, and even the expectation of "stagflation" is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The "Higher-for-Longer" narrative is making it clear that the recent rally in stocks and bonds driven by the prospect of a ceasefire between the US and Iran is facing a major test.

Brent crude oil rose 9% intraday to $103.78 per barrel.

Negotiations collapsed, and the Strait of Hormuz is closed! The US launches a blockade order in the Gulf of Hormuz. Brent oil breaks through the $103 barrier and European natural gas skyrockets by 18%.

As the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after marathon negotiations in Pakistan, the US immediately announced a comprehensive blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, causing a severe impact on the global energy supply chain. As a result, oil and natural gas prices soared significantly.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard: The Strait of Hormuz allows non-military vessels to pass.

On April 12th local time, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued Announcement No. 59, stating that non-military vessels are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as long as they comply with specific navigation guidelines. The statement warned that any military vessels from any country attempting to approach the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of their pretext, will be seen as violating the ceasefire agreement and will face a strong and firm response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy.

Bitcoin fell below $71,000, dropping 2.83% intraday.

After repeated fluctuations, A-shares are expected to rise again. What are the investment themes? The strategies of the top ten securities firms have arrived.

The latest strategy viewpoints from the top ten securities firms are freshly released.

CITIC SEC: The market will focus on narrowing the circle and pay attention to four directions of AI hardware, resources, cyclical price increases, and dividends.

CITIC Securities released a research report stating that the market will continue to narrow its focus, with four directions of narrowing including AI hardware, resources, cyclical price increases, and dividends. Of these four remaining trends, the main difference in expectations exists in the areas of domestic AI hardware and cyclical price increases.

Guolian Minsheng: Super node boosts computational efficiency improvement, domestic computing power may welcome the opportunity for "overtaking on a curve"

In the era of AI Agent, the non-linear growth of token demand may directly lead to AI computing power requirements exceeding expectations, with super nodes expected to become an important trend in AI computing power development; domestic super nodes are currently rapidly developing and are poised to become an important opportunity for domestic computing power to achieve a "curve overtaking" moment.

Guosen: war evasion weakened, car industry stock prices and fundamentals repaired

Guoxin Overseas Stock Selection Strategy Portfolio have all increased. The main one with a significant increase is the ROE strategy all-weather type (+3.2%).

Guolian Minsheng Securities releases a preview of the first quarter report for the home appliance industry in 2026: Disturbances in the base number, waiting for recovery.

Guolian Minsheng Securities releases a preview of the first quarter report for the home appliance industry in 2026.

China Securities Co., Ltd.: Power shortage remains the main theme for the whole year, continue to be optimistic about the gas turbine industry chain.

CITIC Securities released a research report stating that power shortages are still the main trend for the whole year, and they continue to be optimistic about the gas turbine industry chain.

Bitcoin falls below $72,000, down 1.43% on the day.

The "marathon-style negotiations" between them will continue.

According to the Iranian Tasnim News Agency, the third round of face-to-face negotiations between Iran and the United States in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, has ended, but the "marathon-style negotiations" will continue. The report said that the third round of talks between Iran and the US has ended, and both sides have sent expert teams for text exchange. The report pointed out that there are still serious differences between the Iranian and American delegations in the negotiations. The US side must abandon its consistent "excessive demands" and adopt a more realistic attitude, instead of "asking for the moon."

Latest

1 m ago

OpenAI: Expand trusted access to the network security project to thousands of verified network defense personnel.

2 m ago

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva: The global economy still faces a 20% supply gap in oil and natural gas.

2 m ago

IMF Managing Director Georgieva: If the war ends within two weeks, the global economy will still recover quickly.

2 m ago

IMF's Georgieva: If we see continued disruptions in the global energy market throughout the summer, we will be in a disadvantageous position.

3 m ago

OpenAI is launching GPT-5.4-Cyber to a specific group of users, aimed at detecting vulnerabilities in software. The model will be made available for initial testing to participants in OpenAI's "Trusted Access for Cyber" program, consisting of hundreds of users. Just a week before OpenAI's announcement, competitor Anthropic announced a limited release of an AI tool called Mythos, which focuses on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.

Seeking Coverage

Being Writer

Exploring Cooperation