Trade

  • Russia: Relax foreign exchange controls for exporters. The Central Bank of Russia recently decided to relax foreign exchange control measures for all exporters and increase the period for the settlement of foreign exchange earned from 3 days to 60 days.
  • UK: Exporters to the EU decreased by 1/3. HM Revenue and Customs recently released data that due to complicated export procedures, the number of British companies exporting goods to the EU in 2021 will drop by 33% year-on-year.
  • Vietnam and Laos: Bilateral trade volume increased by 19.2% in the first quarter. According to a report by Vietnam News Agency on April 22, in the first quarter of this year, the bilateral trade volume between Vietnam and Laos exceeded US$400 million, a year-on-year increase of 19.2%. Among them, due to the rise in the prices of minerals, rubber and wood, Vietnam’s imports from Laos have increased significantly.

China industry

  • In 2021, the comprehensive reading rate of China’s adult nationals will be 81.6%, the per capita reading volume of paper books is 4.76, and the per capita reading volume of e-books is 3.30, both of which are higher than the previous year. 77.4% of adult citizens have read on mobile phones, and reading forms such as “listening to books” and “video lectures” provide more choices for reading.
  • In the spring recruitment season this year, due to the impact of the epidemic and changes in the industry, the competition index for clerical functions such as finance, administration and personnel is relatively high, with an average of 16 to 30 resumes for each position. However, students majoring in artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles, semiconductors, biomedicine and other related majors are very popular. The salary of artificial intelligence-related positions once jumped to the top of the list of high-paying positions, reaching 23,960 yuan per month.
  • China Cement Association: Since April, cement prices have risen in many places, and cement companies in the Pearl River Delta and northern Guangdong plan to raise prices by 30 yuan/ton. Recently, the national cement price has fluctuated at a high level, but the price in different regions has risen and fallen; the current demand is still weak, and the price increase is mainly driven by cost.
  • Shanghai Release: On April 23, the results of the Shanghai license plate auction were released. The lowest transaction price of this auction was 92,500 yuan, and the average transaction price was 92,573 yuan, a decrease of 177 yuan from the previous month. In April, 10,300 vehicles were put in, and 182,925 people participated in the auction, with a winning rate of 5.8%.
  • Lure sports(路亚运动) is one of the fastest growing sports in outdoor sports in the past two years. According to the industry, the price of professional equipment lure rods has increased by more than three times in the past year.
  • Bilibili(哔哩哔哩，also called “B站”): In the past year, the total viewing volume of reading videos exceeded 5.8 billion, and about 90.6 million people watched reading videos at Bilibili, of which 743,000 watched more than one reading video on Bilibili every day, a year-on-year increase of 779%. In addition, 60% of the top ten most watched books are classical literature, and the four famous books are in the top six. Last year, the growth rate of videos about Confucius reached 585%.
  • According to JD’s “2022 Reading Report”, people under the age of 35 are still the main reading force, accounting for more than 50%, but the proportion of people aged 36-45 is increasing rapidly. There is still a big gap in reading habits between high- tier and low-tier cities. The proportion of primary and secondary school teaching assistants purchased in the sinking market is much higher than that of first-tier cities, but the proportion of teaching assistants in colleges and technical secondary schools is significantly lower than that in the latter. Users in low-tier cities are more inclined to buy practical books such as exams, agriculture and forestry, as well as books for children, novels, leisure and entertainment, sports and fitness, while users in high-tier cities are leading in categories such as management, economy, art, and IT technology. .
  • According to EqualOcean(亿欧智库), the scale of China’s dietary and health care market will increase from 245.3 billion yuan in 2012 to 536.7 billion yuan in 2021.
  • In the first quarter, China’s foreign investment exceeded 200 billion yuan. According to recent news from the Ministry of Commerce, in the first quarter, China’s foreign direct investment in the whole industry was 217.76 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.6%.

Company

  • BYD: Started a new production line for photovoltaic modules in Brazil. BYD recently opened a new production line for photovoltaic modules in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Accordingly, BYD’s PV module production capacity in Brazil can meet the electricity demand of 750,000 people.

World

  • US: The average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 5% for the first time since 2011, according to a Freddie Mac survey.
  • Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan: Chinese and Korean companies are actively investing in batteries and growing at an alarming rate, and Japan also needs to take a step forward and provide solid support. Strengthening international competitiveness will be the primary goal of the development of the battery industry. By 2030, the battery production capacity of Japanese manufacturers will increase to 600GWh, and the global market share will increase to 20%.
  • Japan: Tenders will be held to release oil reserves
  • Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiita recently announced that a tender will be held on May 10 for the release of Japan’s oil reserves.
  • Brazil: Affected by factors such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Petrobras has repeatedly raised diesel and gas prices since March. The average price of ride-hailing software has increased by 6%, but the price of fuel has actually increased by 18%. The decrease in income has caused many local drivers to extend their working hours to maintain their income. The starting price of taxis in Sao Paulo, which has not increased prices for seven consecutive years, has increased by 22%, and the unit price per kilometer has increased by 45%.
  • New Zealand: Prime Minister Ardern announced that the border with Australia will be fully opened in April. More and more young New Zealanders are restarting “overseas travel” plans. After the border reopens, New Zealand may lose 125,000 people in the next year.
  • Cambodia: The quarantine period for unvaccinated people entering Cambodia is shortened. According to a recent report by Cambodia-China Times, the Cambodian Ministry of Health announced on April 21 that from now on, domestic and foreign travelers who have not been vaccinated or have not completed the vaccination against the new crown pneumonia will be quarantined to 7 days.