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April 27th - The State Council Information Office will hold a regular policy briefing at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026. Shen Zhulin, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission; Zhang Li, Assistant Minister of Commerce; Gao Zheng, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism; Deng Zhiyong, Vice Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation and Director of the State Standardization Administration; and relevant officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will introduce the "Opinions on Promoting the Expansion and Quality Improvement of the Service Industry" and answer questions from reporters.

April 27th - According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, my country's wholesale and retail trade added value increased by 4.1% year-on-year in the first quarter, indicating a good start for the sector. In the first quarter, the added value of my country's wholesale and retail trade reached 3.5 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.1%, accounting for 10.5% of GDP. Market operations started smoothly, with most sectors maintaining growth. Looking at the wholesale sector, in the first quarter, the transaction volume of key commodity markets monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by 8.6% year-on-year, with the transaction volume of production materials and industrial consumer goods markets increasing by 16.1% and 10.7% year-on-year, respectively. Looking at the retail sector, in the first quarter, retail sales of goods reached 11.3 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.2%.

On April 27th, Windward, a UK-based maritime analytics firm, released a report on the 26th stating that after several days of sluggish traffic, vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz increased on the 25th, with 19 vessels passing through that day. The report showed that of the 19 vessels, 5 entered the Gulf waters and 14 exited, all with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) activated. All entering vessels were cargo ships, and all transited the northern shipping lane controlled by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Exiting vessels included 3 oil tankers, 2 bulk carriers, and 9 other cargo ships. The total number of vessels observed in the Gulf waters increased to 892, an increase of 126 from the previous day.

On April 27th, the National Energy Administration released data on national electric vehicle charging infrastructure for March 2026. According to data from the National Charging Infrastructure Monitoring and Service Platform, as of the end of March 2026, the total number of electric vehicle charging infrastructure (guns) in my country reached 21.481 million, a year-on-year increase of 46.9%. Among them, there were 4.863 million public charging facilities (guns), a year-on-year increase of 28.1%, with a total rated power of 234 million kilowatts and an average power of approximately 48.06 kilowatts; and 16.618 million private charging facilities (guns), a year-on-year increase of 53.5%, with a registered power capacity of 147 million kilovolt-amperes.

Hong Kong stocks' two major model stocks weakened amid volatility, with MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) falling more than 12% and Zhipu (02513.HK) falling more than 3%.

Hesai-W (02525.HK) rose more than 10% during trading after the company announced that its 6D full-color lidar has been used in mass-produced commercial vehicles for the first time.

On April 27, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, met separately with visiting Russian State Duma Chairman Volodin and Defense Minister Belousov on April 26. Kim Jong Un stated that the victory achieved by the armies and people of North Korea and Russia in the Kursk military operation, fought side-by-side, is a historical event demonstrating the strength and consolidation of the alliance between the two countries. He reiterated that North Korea will, as always, fully support Russia's policy of safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests.

On April 27, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, met separately with visiting Russian State Duma Chairman Volodin and Defense Minister Belousov on April 26. Kim Jong Un stated that the victory achieved by the armies and people of North Korea and Russia in the Kursk military operation, fought side-by-side, is a historical event demonstrating the strength and consolidation of the alliance between the two countries. He reiterated that North Korea will, as always, fully support Russia's policy of safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests.

April 27th - According to the latest data from the State Financial Regulatory Commission, as of the end of March 2026, the outstanding balance of inclusive micro and small enterprise loans nationwide reached 38.79 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.9%, 4.22 percentage points higher than the growth rate of all loans. Among them, the outstanding balance of inclusive micro and small enterprise credit loans reached 12.02 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.13%. From January to March 2026, the average interest rate of newly issued inclusive micro and small enterprise loans nationwide was 3.64%, a decrease of 0.19 percentage points compared with the average interest rate for the whole of 2025.

Chart: Precious metals market data for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China accounts on Monday, April 27, 2026.

April 27 - A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Tokachi region of Hokkaido, Japan, on April 27, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There is no tsunami risk. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred at approximately 5:24 a.m. local time (4:24 a.m. Beijing time) on April 27, with its epicenter located at 42.6 degrees north latitude and 143.1 degrees east longitude, and a focal depth of approximately 80 kilometers. According to Kyodo News, there are no reports of casualties. No abnormalities have been reported at the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant in Hokkaido. Some road and rail services have been suspended due to the earthquake.

Hong Kong tech stocks saw some gains, with Baidu (09888.HK) rising over 5%, Alibaba (09988.HK) rising over 1%, and other stocks such as Beike (02423.HK), BOSS Zhipin (02076.HK), and NetEase-S (09999.HK) following suit.

On April 27th, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism held a media promotion conference in Beijing for the 2026 National May Day Cultural and Tourism Consumption Week, officially launching the nationwide event. The conference announced plans to organize various regions to launch a series of affordable products, engaging activities, convenient services, and preferential measures for the May Day holiday, aiming to meet the travel and cultural tourism consumption needs of residents and tourists. It is understood that the May Day Cultural and Tourism Consumption Week will run from the end of April until the end of the May Day holiday. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with relevant enterprises and institutions, will launch a series of diverse and beneficial cultural and tourism measures during the consumption week.

On April 27th, Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Securities stated that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to hold its policy steady this week, as the oil price shock triggered by the Middle East war could both damage demand and further exacerbate existing inflation risks. The BOJ is facing a dilemma, as it remains unclear which risk will prevail and what corresponding countermeasures should be taken. High inflation levels prior to the Middle East crisis and the sharp depreciation pressure on the yen limit the BOJ's ability to ease policy prematurely to offset potential growth shocks. At the same time, the BOJ cannot raise interest rates too quickly or too drastically, as this could undermine the prospects for sustainable and healthy reflation.

On April 27th, the highest 7-day annualized yield of Tencent Wealth Management's "Current Account +" was 1.3420%, and the lowest was 0.7730%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of WeChat Pay's "Lingqian Tong" was 1.0680%, and the lowest was 1.0030%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of Alipay's "Yu'ebao" was 1.1480%, and the lowest was 1.0020%.

April 27 – According to the Wall Street Journal, sources familiar with the matter said a group of U.S. low-cost carriers, including Frontier and Avelo, are seeking $2.5 billion in government aid in exchange for warrants convertible into company equity. The $2.5 billion figure is based on the assumption that jet fuel prices will average above $4 per gallon for the remainder of the year. The low-cost carriers were encouraged by President Trump's remarks in the Oval Office last Thursday, in which he stated he liked "having many airlines, that's more competitive." This request comes as the government is also separately considering providing support to Spirit Airlines to help it avoid liquidation. Previous reports indicated that Spirit Airlines was negotiating a loan of up to $500 million in exchange for warrants that could give the U.S. government a significant stake in the low-cost carrier.

April 27 - According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to March, the mining industry achieved a total profit of 256.33 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%; the manufacturing industry achieved a total profit of 1,238.43 billion yuan, an increase of 19.1%; and the electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply industry achieved a total profit of 201.28 billion yuan, a decrease of 3.2%.

China's industrial profits above the designated size rose 15.8% year-on-year in March.

China's year-to-date profits for large-scale industrial enterprises rose 15.5% in March, up from 15.20% in the previous month.

According to the Wall Street Journal, sources say that several U.S. low-cost airlines have requested $2.5 billion in federal aid from the Trump administration. Airlines seeking federal assistance include Frontier Airlines and Avelo Airlines, and discussions regarding the bailout are ongoing.