Industry

  • According to a report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the global food price index in February was 140.7 points, an increase of 3.9% month-on-month and a year-on-year increase of 24.1%, a record high. In addition, grain and meat prices rose, with the wheat price index up 2.1 percent, as the situation in Ukraine could disrupt exports from Ukraine and Russia, two of the world’s top wheat exporters.
  • Affected by multiple factors such as the situation in Ukraine, the price of gasoline in Canada has continued to rise in recent days, and the oil price in many places has risen to the highest level in history for several consecutive days. On March 4, local time, oil prices in British Columbia climbed to record highs. Among them, the price of regular gasoline at some gas stations in Metro Vancouver exceeded $2 a liter to $2.09.
  • Electricity prices in Spain continue to suffer due to rising gas prices in the EU due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On March 5, local time, electricity prices in Spain were close to the highest level in history, reaching 366 euros per megawatt hour. The increase in wholesale electricity market prices will have a direct impact on more than one-third of Spanish households; the country is expected to have high electricity prices until the end of 2022.
  • The price of food such as grain and seafood in Japan has risen by at least 10%, and the flower-related industry has also been greatly affected. Farmers who grow flowers in Japan need to use heaters for a long time. The current surge in crude oil prices caused by the situation in Russia and Ukraine has caused the fuel price of heaters to increase by 1.5 times compared with the same period. Flower prices are expected to increase further.
  • The Bank of Korea recently released a report showing that in 2021, South Korean residents’ overseas credit card consumption will increase by 18.6% year-on-year to US$12.23 billion, which is the first time in three years that it will increase again. Affected by the epidemic, the number of Korean residents going abroad decreased from 4.28 million in 2020 to 1.22 million in 2021, but due to the fall in the exchange rate at that time, the amount of cross-border e-commerce online purchases increased.

Industry China

  • The prices of fresh-cut flowers in Kunming, Yunnan have risen a lot recently, among which carnations, roses and lilies have risen the most. A bouquet of about 10 roses with good quality is priced at about 40 yuan. As the price of fresh-cut flowers has risen, so has the price of bouquets made from bandages. Small bouquets that usually cost about 30 yuan are now priced at 40 to 50 yuan.
  • As of the beginning of March, at least 16 new energy vehicle companies have announced price adjustments, involving at least 36 models, covering the mainstream car purchase range below 100,000 yuan to more than 300,000 yuan. Among them, models below 100,000 yuan have a higher rate of increase, with an average price increase of about 4,800 yuan.
  • Released the “2022 China Cross-border Live E-commerce Industry Trend Research Report”. 2022 will be the first year of China’s cross-border live broadcast e-commerce, and the market size is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth rate of 210%. However, due to different factors such as social culture, consumption habits, and business policies, cross-border live broadcast e-commerce will encounter some detailed problems and also face many challenges.
  • China Business News: As of the beginning of March, at least 16 new energy vehicle companies have announced price adjustments, involving at least 36 models, covering the mainstream car purchase range from below 100,000 yuan to above 300,000 yuan. Among them, models below 100,000 yuan have a higher rate of increase, with an average price increase of about 4,800 yuan.

China

  • Government work report: The main expected development goals for this year include a GDP growth of about 5.5%; more than 11 million new urban jobs are created, and the urban surveyed unemployment rate is controlled within 5.5% for the whole year; consumer prices increase by about 3%; grain output Keep it above 1.3 trillion kilograms, etc.

Company

  • Japan Broadcasting Association: Global power battery giant Panasonic plans to spend billions of dollars to buy land in the United States to build a battery factory to supply high-capacity lithium-ion batteries for Tesla. If the news is true, it is most likely to produce the new 4680 batteries that Tesla needs. It is reported that CATL, Yiwei Lithium Energy and BAK Battery will put into mass production of Tesla 4680 batteries this year.
  • McDonald’s Japan said a few days ago that it will increase the price of products including hamburgers, milkshakes, chicken nuggets and other products by as much as 20% from March 14 to reflect the increase in raw material, labor and logistics costs, and the new price of basic burgers will be 130 yen. This is the company’s first price hike since Japan raised the consumption tax to 10% in 2019.