Industry

  • Due to ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine’s two major neon gas suppliers, which account for about half of global supply, have ceased operations. Neon gas is a key raw material for making chips, and the shutdown of the two companies could lead to higher prices and worsen semiconductor shortages.

Industry China

  • Since March this year, as the main variety of potash fertilizer, the domestic price of potassium chloride has exceeded 4,000 yuan per ton, reaching 4,200 yuan per ton, a monthly increase of 20.86%, an increase of more than 106% compared with the same period last year. According to the industry, the current spot of potash fertilizer can only be described as “tight”. The official quotation of potassium chloride from a large domestic factory is less than 4,000 yuan per ton, but the supply is small, and the actual transaction price in the market is about 500 yuan higher.
  • Since March, nearly 20 new energy vehicle companies have announced price increases, involving nearly 40 models. This round of price hikes in the new energy vehicle market is mainly divided into two situations, one is simply product price increases, and the other is to increase product configuration and increase prices. According to the industry, starting from the end of 2020, the price of lithium carbonate has been rising. The price at that time was 50,000 yuan per ton, but after more than a year, it has now risen to 500,000 yuan per ton.
  • In 2021, the food industry(Food that approaching expiration date) will accelerate its development, and the market size will reach 31.8 billion yuan. Among China’s food consumers, 70% are young people, and 60% are middle-income groups. The top three categories most commonly purchased by Chinese food consumers are packaged snacks, bakery and pastries, and dairy products. More than 50% of Chinese food consumers who are on the verge of repurchase repurchase every month, and nearly 80% of consumers are willing to recommend it to others.

China

  • The State Food and Drug Administration issued a notice approving the application changes for the self-testing application of new crown antigen products of Nanjing Novizan, Beijing Jinwofu, Shenzhen Huada Yinyuan, Guangzhou Wanfu Bio, and Beijing Huaketai Bio. Since then, five new coronavirus antigen self-test products have been officially launched.
  • Shenzhen: 10 districts (new districts) and the Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone issued notices through their official WeChat accounts to further strengthen relevant measures for epidemic prevention and control. All districts require that from March 14 to 18, 2022, in addition to ensuring the basic operation of the city, people’s livelihood, emergency and other industries, government agencies, enterprises and institutions that have the conditions for working from home should in principle work from home.
  • March 12 is the 44th Arbor Day (Tree Planting Day)in China. With the promotion of national voluntary tree planting and key ecological projects, the forest coverage rate in China has increased from 12% in the early 1980s to the current 23.04%, and the area of artificial forests ranks first in the world.

Company

  • British Steel (Tata Group): New orders for all structural products used in buildings and bridges increased by £250/t, or about 25%.

World

  • German fuel prices have reached a high of 2.268 euros per liter. The rapid rise in German fuel prices has been linked to a surge in crude oil market prices, which reached their highest level since 2008 earlier this week. The sharp rise in fuel prices has also put pressure on the logistics industry. The industry said that the financial burden of many transport companies has reached the upper limit, and the German transport and logistics industry may usher in a “wave of bankruptcy”.