Category: Flash News

On April 2nd, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and interviews with three US officials, members of Trump’s National Security Council, including Presidential National Security Advisor Waltz, have used Google’s Gmail personal account to handle government affairs.

On April 2nd, after all the annual reports of public funds were disclosed, the 2024 list of brokerage commission for sub positions was also released. Data shows that in 2024, securities firms will grab a share of the sub warehouse commission “cake” of 10.7 billion yuan, a decrease of 36% from 16.8 billion yuan in 2023 and a halving from 22 billion yuan in 2021, setting a record for the annual “three consecutive declines”. On an individual level, most securities firms have experienced a decline in their commission income from sub warehousing, with some even dropping by more than 70%, and only a few securities firms have risen against the trend. At the same time, the reshuffle of top brokerage research institutes has become more intense, and the ranking of sub warehouse commissions has undergone significant changes. The top five securities firms in terms of commission income from sub warehousing in 2024 are CITIC Securities, Guangfa Securities, Changjiang Securities, CITIC Securities, and Guolian Minsheng. Compared with the 2023 ranking, Changjiang Securities has “climbed to a higher level” and entered the top three, while Guolian Minsheng has entered the top five of the industry for the first time with its “marriage alliance” results.

On April 2nd, according to statistics, more than 1100 A-share listed companies have announced the replacement of their 2024 annual report audit institutions, setting a new historical high, with over half of them involving accounting firms that have been punished by regulators. Dahua has lost over 300 clients, with client churn rates exceeding 70% for firms such as PwC, Asia Pacific, Suya Jincheng, and Zhongzhun. At the same time, local firms such as Rongcheng and Lixin have added over a hundred signed projects against the trend, and many small and medium-sized firms have also taken the opportunity to share a piece of the pie. The competitive landscape of the Chinese audit market is undergoing restructuring.

On April 2nd, Iranian Foreign Minister Aragorchi stated on April 1st local time that Iran once again reiterated that it will not seek, produce, or acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances. Alaghchi stated that it has been 10 years since the signing of the Iran nuclear agreement and 7 years since the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, and there is still no evidence to suggest that Iran has violated this commitment. He also mentioned that past diplomatic interactions have proven their effectiveness and are still feasible today, but everyone must be clear that there is no such thing as a ‘military option’, let alone a ‘military solution’.

On April 2nd, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced on April 1st local time that the legal teams of Ukraine and the United States are currently in negotiations on a mineral agreement. He specifically pointed out that the agreement does not involve NATO issues. Zelensky stated that lawyers from both Ukraine and the United States are currently discussing a new draft of the agreement, and the relevant results may be determined in the coming days. He stated that there is no NATO issue in the agreement and such a situation does not exist.

On April 2nd, the Israeli Defense Forces and the Government Coordination of Territorial Activities (COGAT) under the Israeli Ministry of Defense issued a statement on April 1st local time, denying previous reports of food shortages in the Gaza Strip. The statement stated that during the previous six weeks of ceasefire, over 25000 trucks entered Gaza, transporting nearly 450000 tons of aid supplies, enough to provide “long-term food” for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.

On April 2nd, the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced on March 31st that the number of suspected and confirmed cases of dengue fever in Brazil has risen to 799512 this year, with 451 deaths and 702 deaths awaiting verification. Currently, the three states with the highest number of dengue fever cases in Brazil are S ã o Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Paran á.

On April 2nd, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov announced on April 1st that he had submitted a detailed list of facilities attacked by Russia within the 30 day deadline for the cessation of mutual attacks on energy facilities between Russia and Ukraine to US Presidential Assistant for National Security Affairs Waltz and US Secretary of State Rubio. He stated that despite Ukraine’s violation of the agreement, Russia has chosen to continue complying. He also stated that the list has been submitted to the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Lavrov stated that the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Federal Security Council convened by Russian President Putin on the same day also discussed the issue of resuming the Black Sea food export initiative. Lavrov said that the US has promised to respond to Russia’s proposal in the near future. Lavrov emphasized that what Russia needs now is concrete actions, such as normalization of port access, freight rates, and insurance, rather than empty promises.

On April 2nd, Pacific Investment Management Corporation (PIMCO, Pinhao) predicts that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by another 50 basis points later this year. They believe that the Fed is facing a challenging environment, with the risks of rising inflation and economic slowdown having conflicting impacts on achieving the bank’s goals of “price stability and full employment”.

On April 1st, Bank of China issued a notice regarding the adjustment of the purchase threshold for deposit based gold products (effective from April 2nd, 2025). When purchasing deposit products or creating a deposit investment plan based on the amount, the minimum purchase amount will be adjusted from 700 yuan to 750 yuan, and the additional purchase amount will remain unchanged at a multiple of 200 yuan. The ongoing fixed investment plan is not affected. When purchasing accumulated gold products or creating accumulated investment plans based on weight, the minimum purchase weight remains unchanged at 1 gram, and the additional weight remains unchanged at an integer multiple of 1 gram.