Category: Flash News

On March 17th, a US official revealed on March 16th local time that a total of 11 drones launched by the Houthi militants in Yemen were shot down by US F-16 and F-18 fighter jets that day. On the 16th, the Houthi militants in Yemen said that the organization launched a military strike on the US aircraft carrier Harry Truman and its accompanying ships in the Red Sea in response to the large-scale airstrikes by the US military on Houthi targets. The US official stated that the Houthi armed drones did not approach the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier.

On March 17th, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated on the 16th local time that after the US attack on Yemen, Guterres called for “maximum restraint and cessation of all military activities” in Yemen. Any further escalation could escalate tensions, trigger a cycle of retaliation that could further destabilize Yemen and the region, and pose a serious risk to the already dire humanitarian situation in the country, “said UN Secretary General spokesperson Stefana Diyarik in a statement

On March 17th, according to statistics, so far this year, a total of 40 A-share companies have released “valuation enhancement plans”. How to effectively increase valuation? The reporter found that mergers and acquisitions and new quality productivity are the two key driving forces. Among the 40 companies, over 30 have proposed to “timely carry out mergers and acquisitions”, while more than 20 companies have proposed to actively explore emerging sectors, cultivate and develop new quality productivity. Developing new quality productive forces is an inherent requirement and important focus for promoting high-quality development. Mergers and acquisitions are an important way to optimize resource allocation and a crucial means for listed companies to improve quality and efficiency, “said a researcher at Changjiang Securities. (Shanghai Stock News)

On March 17th, recently, the bond market’s “technology board” has become a widely discussed topic in the market. Industry insiders believe that the launch of the “Science and Technology Board” in the bond market will further facilitate the bond financing channels for technology companies, optimize the funding support mechanism, and promote the participation of multiple entities such as financial institutions, technology-based enterprises, and private equity institutions in the technology innovation bond market, providing more comprehensive full life cycle financial services for technology companies. Despite the continuous emergence of science and technology innovation bond varieties in recent years, there are currently problems such as concentrated issuers, financing bottlenecks, and lack of patient investors. Several experts have stated that in the future, it is necessary to cultivate a bond investment and financing ecosystem for science and technology innovation enterprises from multiple aspects, in order to achieve efficient matching between bond market funds and financing needs in the field of science and technology innovation. (Shanghai Stock News)

On March 16th, CATL (300750. SZ) released an investor relations activity record table, stating that since the second half of 2024, the company’s capacity utilization rate has been full, with a 20% increase in capacity utilization rate compared to the first half. The annual capacity utilization rate was 76.3%. The company is currently developing the second generation sodium battery, which has performance indicators close to lithium iron phosphate batteries. It is expected that by 2025, the shipment proportion of Shenxing and Qilin batteries in the company’s LFP and NCM products will increase to 60-70%. In addition, due to the high power consumption and need for stable power in data centers, there is a high demand for the quality of energy storage batteries, which will be a high-quality incremental market in the future. From the current trend, the amount of data center storage is also increasing. For example, the company’s UAE project has reached a scale of 19GWh, which is just the beginning.

March 16, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an ordinary phone call with US President Laurent Trung on March 16 local time. During the meeting, Erdogan stated that the current international situation is complex and volatile, and as allies, it is crucial for Turkey and the United States to strengthen consultations in various fields. On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Erdogan pointed out that since the outbreak of the conflict, Türkiye has been committed to promoting a just and sustainable peace and will continue to play a constructive role. In addition, both sides also discussed the situation in Syria. Erdogan stated that lifting sanctions on Syria is crucial for achieving stability, ensuring the effective operation of the transitional government, and advancing the normalization process. This will also create conditions for Syrian refugees to return home. In terms of defense cooperation, Türkiye expects the United States to adopt policies in line with Türkiye’s interests on counter-terrorism issues, and points out that in order to promote the cooperation between the defense industries of the two countries, Türkiye should complete the process of purchasing US F-16 fighter aircraft as soon as possible, and at the same time, Türkiye should be allowed to return to the F-35 program.

On March 16th, according to the local time of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Aerospace Forces successfully launched a “Angara-1.2” light carrier rocket from the Plesetsk launch site in Arkhangelsk Oblast, carrying multiple satellites for use by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

On March 16th, the Serbian government held a meeting at the Serbia Building in the afternoon local time. President Vu č i ć stated that the country needs to resume normal operations as soon as possible. He pointed out that if a new government is not formed within 30 days after the National Assembly confirms the resignation of Prime Minister Vu č evi ć, new elections may be held on June 8th.

On March 16th, the European Union recently announced countermeasures against the 25% steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the United States, including imposing tariffs on American whiskey, which will take effect in April. In response, the US has threatened to soon impose a 200% tariff on alcoholic products from EU countries. Domestic alcohol industry insiders in the United States say that a 200% tariff is unimaginable, as it will result in higher prices for American consumers and greatly affect the business operations of American alcohol merchants. (CCTV Finance)

On March 16th, a relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce stated that stabilizing foreign investment this year will closely follow platforms such as national level economic and technological development zones, national service industry comprehensive pilot demonstration zones, and free trade pilot zones to enhance the efficiency of open platforms. It is reported that there are currently 232 national level economic development zones in China, which account for less than 0.3% of the country’s total area and contribute 1/10 of the country’s regional GDP, as well as over 1/5 of the total amount of foreign investment utilized. Recently, a survey questionnaire released by the China Japan Chamber of Commerce showed that 58% of member companies will increase or maintain their investment scale in China this year. The American Chamber of Commerce in China also released a report showing that 53% of surveyed American companies expect to increase their investment in China by 2025.