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On April 16th, the European Union proposed measures requiring Google (GOOG.O) to open its search data to competitors, including AI chatbots, in an effort to curb the influence of the US tech giant. The European Commission stated on Thursday that it had sent preliminary findings to Google's parent company, Alphabet, demanding compliance with the Digital Markets Act by the end of July. The proposed measures would allow third-party search engines access to ranking and query data to "optimize their services and compete with Google Search." If approved, the data could be made available to companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Google's senior competition counsel, Claire Kelly, responded that Google would "defend itself against overstepping its authority," arguing that the move "jeopardizes privacy and security." The EU launched a review in January. Furthermore, Google also faces penalties under the Digital Markets Act for favoring internal services and restricting app developers.

European Central Bank meeting minutes: European Central Bank officials said the war has fundamentally altered the inflation outlook.

European Central Bank meeting minutes: European Central Bank officials believe that market inflation expectations are generally stable in the medium term.

ECB meeting minutes: We must closely monitor signs of excessive second-order effects and any indication that medium- to long-term inflation expectations may be spiraling out of control.

European Central Bank meeting minutes: European Central Bank officials believe that energy supply disruptions could last for months.

TD COWEN: Raises Alphabet (GOOG.O) price target from $365 to $375.

ECB meeting minutes: The memory of the 2022 inflation event, and the experience of inflation rates remaining above target levels for many years, may mean that the second round of effects will appear more quickly now.

ECB meeting minutes: The current starting point for inflation is much more favorable than in 2022.

European Central Bank meeting minutes: European Central Bank officials believe that a weaker euro poses an upside risk to inflation.

ECB meeting minutes: Some argue that the pre-war labor market tensions and strong global economic growth may mean that this shock will trigger significant secondary effects.

ECB meeting minutes: The risk of not reaching the target has been temporarily eliminated.

ECB meeting minutes: All members believe the risks to the inflation outlook are tilted to the upside.

ECB meeting minutes: The impact is currently unclear and will take some time to materialize; its size is also yet to be confirmed.

April 16th - With the return to work after the Spring Festival and the commencement of spring recruitment activities, the number of migrant workers in Guangzhou has gradually increased, significantly boosting the activity of Guangzhou's residential rental market and ushering in the traditional peak season for rentals. According to a report released on the 16th by the Guangzhou Real Estate Intermediary Association, the transaction volume of residential rentals in Guangzhou in March increased sharply by 140.79% month-on-month. The report analyzes that after the Spring Festival holiday, the customer base in the residential rental market is mostly young people with limited rent payment capacity. This group tends to choose high-value-for-money properties. Suburban areas, due to their relatively convenient transportation, continuously improving supporting facilities, and relatively moderate rents, have become the preferred rental areas for many tenants, driving the rent rebound in March.

Charles Schwab (SCHW.N) reported $140 billion in core net new assets in the first quarter.

April 16: Building materials transaction volume was 129,600 tons, an increase of 16.65% compared to the previous trading day. April 15: Building materials transaction volume was 111,100 tons, an increase of 16.7% compared to the previous trading day. April 14: Building materials transaction volume was 95,200 tons, a decrease of 21.39% compared to the previous trading day. April 13: Building materials transaction volume was 121,100 tons, an increase of 7.74% compared to the previous trading day. April 10: Building materials transaction volume was 112,400 tons, an increase of 25.87% compared to the previous trading day. Last week's average: Building materials transaction volume was 100,000 tons.

Tissa Party Chairman Majol: Met with the CEO of Hungarian Oil and Gas Company to discuss fuel supply security.

On April 16, local time, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, responding to the US Treasury Secretary's decision not to extend the waivers for Russian oil sanctions, stated that Russia had anticipated this. Peskov said that Russia has been living under illegal sanctions for more than a year and has learned to minimize their impact. Peskov also revealed that at an economic meeting held on April 15, President Putin stated that Russia's GDP had fallen by 1.8% in the first two months of this year, and he requested participants to submit specific suggestions on boosting the economy.

On April 16, the General Offices of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued a notice on the 2026 Central Government-Supported Urban Renewal Action Plan. The notice stipulates that the central government will provide fixed subsidies to cities implementing urban renewal projects based on their respective regions. Specifically: the total subsidy for each city in the eastern region will not exceed 800 million yuan; for each city in the central region, the total subsidy will not exceed 1 billion yuan; and for each city in the western region, the total subsidy will not exceed 1.2 billion yuan. Funds will be disbursed in installments over several years based on the progress of the work.