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On May 5th, following the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) third consecutive interest rate hike and raising its cash rate target to 4.35%, the rate remains below Societe Generale's year-end forecast of 4.7%. Societe Generale economists stated in a report, "The RBA still has room to maneuver and may raise rates at least one more time." Economists expect the RBA to maintain interest rates at 4.7% throughout 2027 and the first half of 2028, predicting core inflation will peak at 3.8% in the second quarter, before falling to 3.1% by the end of 2026. They added, "A pause in rate hikes in June seems inevitable," noting that RBA Governor Bullock's more neutral tone prompted demand for short-term rates, simultaneously pushing the yield curve for Australian 2-year and 10-year government bonds into a "bull market steepening."

The World Health Organization says it plans to medically evacuate the two people on board who are infected with Hantavirus, and the cruise ship will continue its journey to the Canary Islands.

World Health Organization: Our hypothesis is that the Hantavirus cases were contracted outside the cruise ship where the incident occurred.

Iranian border police commander: Five smuggling vessels carrying 200,000 liters of smuggled fuel were seized in Khuzestan province.

The China Earthquake Networks Center officially reported that a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred at 17:05 on May 5 in Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang (41.35 degrees north latitude, 83.89 degrees east longitude), with a focal depth of 15 kilometers.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that this was a retaliatory strike against Ukraine's attack on Russian civilian infrastructure.

HSBC downgraded AMD (AMD.O) from Buy to Hold; raised its target price from $335 to $340.

On May 5th, Barclays analysts wrote that it remains unclear whether Trump's threat to impose a 25% tariff on EU cars and trucks imported into the US will actually take effect. The bank stated, "We believe there may be agreements, extensions, and exemptions, but the tariffs under discussion will have a significant adverse impact on the profit margins of EU original equipment manufacturers." The bank added that Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen will be most affected, while the impact on Ferrari is not yet apparent, but Barclays believes Ferrari will primarily utilize its contractual rights to pass on most of the tariffs. Aston Martin will be unaffected by this tariff escalation because of a separate bilateral trade agreement between the UK and the US.

Leapmotor (09863.HK): A board meeting is scheduled for May 15, 2026, to approve and publish the Group’s first quarter results for the three months ended March 31, 2026.

May 5th - Data released by Spain's National Statistics Institute on Tuesday showed that the number of international tourists visiting Spain rose in March, reaching 6.8 million, a 3.3% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The National Statistics Institute also showed that international tourist spending increased by 5.4%, exceeding €9.6 billion. Looking at the first quarter as a whole, tourist arrivals increased by 2.5%, reaching 17.5 million. The Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism stated, "The March data confirms the trend that tourist spending growth continued to outpace tourist arrival growth in the first quarter." According to the National Statistics Institute, tourism accounted for 12.6% of Spain's GDP in 2024.

Hong Kong, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government released preliminary estimates of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2026 today. According to the preliminary estimates, GDP is projected to grow by 5.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, compared to a 4.0 percent increase in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Sources indicate that the US fired on two small civilian vessels, not Revolutionary Guard ships. The US military's claim that it struck six Iranian speedboats is false; in reality, no Iranian Revolutionary Guard combat vessels were attacked.

Hong Kong's GDP annualized growth rate for the first quarter was 5.9%, below the expected 3.5% and the previous value of 3.80%.

Hong Kong's GDP growth rate for the first quarter was 2.9%, compared to a forecast of 0.9% and a previous reading of 1.00%.

May 5th - According to the Ministry of Transport, it is estimated that from May 1st to 5th, 2026 (the first five days of the May Day holiday), the total cross-regional population movement will reach 1,525,103,000 person-times, with a daily average of 305,021,000 person-times, representing a 4% increase compared to the daily average during the same period in 2025. On May 5th, 2026, the total cross-regional population movement is expected to reach 290,035,000 person-times, a 3.1% decrease compared to the previous day and an 8% increase year-on-year.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: The EU is prepared to deal with all scenarios if the US defaults.

On Tuesday, May 5, the Hang Seng Index closed down 197.27 points, or 0.76%, at 25,898.61; the Hang Seng Tech Index closed down 47.02 points, or 0.94%, at 4,929.68; the H-share Index closed down 43.9 points, or 0.5%, at 8,730.49; and the Red Chip Index closed down 4.82 points, or 0.11%, at 4,406.42.

According to Iranian media Fars News, starting today, users applying for foreign exchange can purchase up to $1,000 or euros using their ID cards at two banks—Merat Bank and Trade Bank.

The UK automotive industry body predicts that new car registrations in the UK will grow by 3.6% to 2.093 million vehicles in 2026.