Category: Flash News

① 07:00 Federal Reserve’s Schmid and Logan have a fireplace conversation ② 09:00 China’s March Swift RMB’s share in global payments ③ 09:30 Australia’s March seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ④ 14:00 Germany’s March PPI monthly rate, Switzerland’s March trade account ⑤ 20:15 European Central Bank announces interest rate decision ⑥ 20:30 US initial jobless claims for the week ending April 12 ⑦ 20:30 US March new housing starts annualized, US March Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index ⑧ 22:30 US April 11 EIA natural gas inventory ⑨ 23:45 Federal Reserve Board member Barr delivers speech ⑩ The next day 01:00 US April 18 total oil drilling for the week ending April 18

On April 17, it was learned from the Chinese Academy of Sciences that China’s scientific research team found that by heating the lithium rich manganese based cathode materials of the next generation of lithium batteries, it can help the aging lithium rich manganese based batteries recover voltage and make them “rejuvenate”. This discovery provides a new approach for developing smarter and more durable next-generation lithium batteries. This research was completed by the team of Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the related achievement papers have been published online in the international academic journal Nature.

On April 17th, Iranian Foreign Minister Aragorzi met with visiting Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Grossi, at a party on the 16th local time to discuss and exchange views on the latest developments in technical cooperation and interaction between the agency and Iran. Araghi introduced Iran’s policy and determination to interact and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency within the framework of international law, and emphasized that the agency needs to play a professional and technical role within its own responsibilities and not be influenced by unreasonable pressure from certain parties. He also emphasized that the International Atomic Energy Agency needs to take a clear stance on threats against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities. In addition, Alaghi briefed Grossi on the negotiations between Iran and the United States on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.

On April 17th, with the intensification of stock market volatility and the decline of bond market interest rates, the high dividend and low volatility banking sector has become a “hot commodity” for funds to pay attention to. On April 16th, the overall market continued to fluctuate weakly, with most industry sectors falling and banks independently rising. The CSI Bank Index rose 1.01%, achieving a “five consecutive positive” streak, and multiple bank stocks hit historic highs during the trading session. The latest disclosed Q1 2025 report shows that the banking sector, which has always been undervalued by funds, received multiple fund placements in the first quarter of this year. The interviewed fund companies believe that funds are increasingly focused on the certainty of high dividends and low wave stability, and the value of banks’ fixed income allocation is expected to be further highlighted.

On April 17th, several broad-based ETFs experienced a surge in trading volume and turned red in the closing session, attracting market attention. Multiple market participants have stated that high volume ETFs have been favored by the “national team”, and it is possible that the “national team” has made another move to inject confidence into the market. Recently, market volatility has increased, and funds continue to invest in A-shares through ETFs. Data shows that since April 7th, there has been a net inflow of over 170 billion yuan into stock ETFs. As of April 15th, the total size of 24 ETFs tracking the Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 Index has once again exceeded the trillion yuan mark.

On April 17th, Alcoa rose more than 2% after the market closed, with its first quarter sales of 3.37 billion US dollars and an estimated 3.45 billion US dollars; Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter is $855 million, with an estimated $786.8 million; First quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.15, estimated at $1.68; It is still predicted that the annual shipment of alumina will be 13.1 million to 13.3 million metric tons.

On April 17th, Ukrainian President Zelensky stated in his regular video speech on the evening of April 16th that the Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Sviridenko, reported on the negotiation of the mineral agreement that day. The Ukrainian government team and the US have achieved good results in cooperation on the economic partnership agreement, and the relevant legal matters have been basically finalized. Earlier that day, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Sviridenko, announced on his official social media platform that Ukrainian and American technical teams had conducted in-depth research on the mineral agreement and made significant progress. She stated that both sides have taken positive steps in establishing the Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund and other aspects. She also stated that both teams will work on the specific points in the agreement. Sviridenko stated that the agreement requires approval from the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine.

On April 17th, Citigroup strategists raised their expectations for the euro exchange rate on Wednesday, citing the relatively poor performance of the US economy and increasing policy uncertainty, which have put pressure on the US dollar as capital continues to flow back overseas. We have adjusted our forex forecasts to reflect the increasing likelihood of global investors reducing their risk in US asset allocation, “wrote Citigroup strategists Daniel Tobon, Osamu Takashima, and Brian Levine in the report. Differences in cyclical growth, policy and economic uncertainty, and even anti American sentiment may prompt capital to flow back into domestic markets or become opportunities to reduce exposure to such uncertainty

On April 17, the winning yield of the US Treasury Department’s issuance of US $13 billion 20-year treasury bond was 4.81%, and the pre issuance trading level at the bid closing at 1 p.m. EDT was 4.814%. The winning bid yield is 4.810%, compared to 4.632% last time. The bidding multiple is 2.63 times, compared to 2.78 times last time. The winning ratio of first tier traders is 17%, compared to 8.8% last time. The direct bidder won 12.3% of the bid, compared to 22.4% last time. Indirect bidders won 70.7% of the bid, compared to 68.8% last time.

On April 17th, although sales have slightly rebounded, the confidence index of US real estate developers has only slightly increased this month. At the same time, expectations for future demand have fallen to their lowest level in over a year, while building material prices continue to rise against the backdrop of rising tariffs. The overall market condition index jointly released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo rose 1 point to 40 in April, still hovering in the low range since the end of 2023. The previous median expectation was 38. However, the performance of each sub item in the index varies. Builders’ expectations for sales prospects over the next six months have dropped by 4 points to 43, marking the lowest level since November 2023. At the same time, the current sales index of single family homes and the viewing flow index of potential homebuyers have slightly increased. The data indicates that in the context of challenges faced on both the demand and supply sides, construction activities in the US new residential market will continue to be suppressed. Homebuyers are under pressure from high housing prices and mortgage rates, with mortgage rates soaring to 6.81% last week, while builders now have to deal with higher building material costs due to tariffs. NAHB estimates that the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will increase the cost of each residential building for contractors by $10900. The agency stated that approximately 60% of builders have reported that suppliers have raised material prices due to tariffs or have announced an imminent price increase.