Domestic News:
1. Wang Yi speaks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio by phone.
2. He Lifeng holds video calls with US Treasury Secretary Bessant and Trade Representative Greer.
3. Four departments will support local governments in carrying out commercial reserves of frozen pork.
4. Yi Huiman, former vice chairman of the Economic Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office.
5. Guangzhou: The maximum amount of individual housing provident fund loans has been increased to 1 million yuan.
6. The People's Bank of China will conduct 300 billion yuan of outright reverse repurchase operations with a term of 3 months.
7. The People's Bank of China and the General Administration of Customs: Further optimize the "non-batch-one-license" management of import and export permits for gold and gold products.
8. National Bureau of Statistics: my country's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) was 50.3% in April, continuing its positive trend.
International News:
1. Trump cancels tariffs on British whisky.
2. Trump: Doesn't care whether Powell stays at the Federal Reserve, will not take action.
3. Sources: India's gold imports in April are expected to fall to 15 tons, potentially a near 30-year low.
4. Alphabet closed up 10%, with its market capitalization surging by $421 billion in a single day, the second-highest increase in history.
5. The European Central Bank held rates steady for the seventh consecutive meeting; ECB sources indicate a very high probability of a rate hike in June.
6. The Bank of England voted 8-1 to keep interest rates unchanged, with the statement hinting at a possible rate hike; Governor Bailey held an emergency press conference to quell the situation.
7. The JPY/USD exchange rate experienced significant volatility, briefly falling below 160 to a 19-month low before recovering above 155 during the US session; Japanese media reported that Japan intervened in the foreign exchange market.
8. The initial estimate for the annualized quarterly rate of US real GDP in the first quarter was 2%, lower than expected; the March PCE price index rose to 3.5% year-on-year, the highest in nearly three years; weekly initial jobless claims reached 189,000, the lowest since the week of September 24, 2022.
9. US-Iran Situation—① Trump says he may need to break the ceasefire agreement with Iran. ② US media: The US proposes forming an alliance to restore ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. ③ Israeli Defense Minister says he may "soon" take "again action" against Iran. ④ Blockade is a declaration of war; Iranian lawmakers say they may clear maritime obstacles. ⑤ Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: Expecting quick results in negotiations with the US is unrealistic.
