Real-time News

July 29 - According to relevant work arrangements, the Ministry of Finance will issue the fourth tranche of RMB treasury bonds for 2026 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on August 5, with an issuance scale of RMB 15 billion. Specific issuance arrangements will be announced by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU).

July 29th - Capital Economics economist Abhijit Surya stated that weaker-than-expected Australian inflation data is likely to keep the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on a wait-and-see approach regarding monetary policy tightening. Given the unexpected decline in core inflation in the second quarter, the RBA is unlikely to feel any urgency to raise interest rates in the near term. Capital Economics added that the latest data may prompt the RBA to keep interest rates unchanged at its upcoming August meeting.

July 29 – At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office today (July 29), the State Intellectual Property Office introduced its efforts to actively promote rapid and collaborative intellectual property protection. Currently, 83 national-level intellectual property protection centers and 54 rapid rights protection centers have been established nationwide, forming a balanced, tiered, and clearly oriented rapid and collaborative protection network. This network provides local advantageous industries and innovative entities with comprehensive "one-stop" intellectual property protection services, including rapid pre-examination, rapid rights confirmation, and rapid rights protection.

Hong Kong-listed mainland property stocks rebounded after a period of volatility, with Sunac China (01918.HK) rising over 7.5%, Longfor Group (00960.HK), Ronshine China (03301.HK), and Shimao Group (00813.HK) all rising over 5.5%, and Sino-Ocean Group (03377.HK) and Yuexiu Property (00123.HK) following suit.

On July 29, the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office held a regular press conference. Spokesperson Chen Binhua stated that cross-strait exchanges have remained active since the summer vacation began, with airlines resuming four direct cross-strait routes, which have been well-received by passengers. To further meet the needs of cross-strait passengers, relevant airlines are working hard to restore their direct cross-strait route product system and upgrade transit services. Chen Binhua reiterated that our attitude towards promoting the full restoration of normalized direct cross-strait air travel is positive and clear. We hope that Taiwan will face up to the realistic demand for direct cross-strait passenger flights, follow public opinion, and promptly remove unreasonable restrictions on cross-strait air transport, allowing airlines on both sides to independently arrange flight schedules based on market demand.

Hong Kong-listed internet healthcare stocks rallied amid volatility, with JD Health (06618.HK) rising over 6%, ZhongAn Online (06060.HK) gaining nearly 4%, and Alibaba Health (00241.HK) and Medicare (02459.HK) rising 3%.

According to the Financial Times, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that banning the use of cutting-edge Chinese artificial intelligence in the United States is not an "effective solution."

Li Auto (LI.O) shares rose 4.7% in overnight trading on the US stock market.

July 29 – At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office today (July 29), the State Intellectual Property Office announced that my country's international competitiveness in intellectual property has significantly strengthened. In the first half of the year, Chinese applicants ranked among the world's top in PCT international patent applications, Hague System international design applications, and Madrid System international trademark registrations, with overall scale showing steady growth. In the first five months, my country's intellectual property royalties exports reached 45.5 billion yuan, a substantial year-on-year increase of 64.9%, indicating that Chinese enterprises are actively using intellectual property to create new competitive advantages in the international arena and promoting the upgrading and transformation of my country's service trade.

On July 29th, the State Intellectual Property Office announced at a press conference that the endogenous driving force for innovation and development of Chinese enterprises continues to rise. As of the end of June, the number of enterprises with valid invention patents reached 574,000, with a total of 4.254 million valid invention patents, accounting for 74.8% of the national total, an increase of 0.3 percentage points compared to the end of last year, further consolidating the leading role of enterprises in innovation. Meanwhile, brand protection awareness is continuously improving; one in four business entities owns a valid registered trademark, and 55,000 business entities use the geographical indication special mark, indicating a continued acceleration in enterprise brand building.

On July 29, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office, Rui Wenbiao, Deputy Director of the State Intellectual Property Office, said that in the first half of this year, my country granted 453,000 invention patents, approved 2.055 million trademark registrations, recognized 64 geographical indication products, approved 8 geographical indications as collective trademarks and certification trademarks, issued 5,061 integrated circuit layout design registration certificates, approved the construction of 2 new national-level intellectual property protection centers and 6 rapid rights protection centers, and helped more than 19,000 enterprises nationwide benefit from patent and trademark pledge financing.

July 29th - The first C919 high-altitude prototype aircraft conducted its maiden flight test at Shanghai Pudong International Airport today, completing all scheduled test flight maneuvers. This marks a significant step forward in the C919 series development. Based on the basic model, the C919 high-altitude prototype incorporates targeted design features such as a shorter fuselage and improved system functions to meet the requirements of high-altitude operations.

SK Hynix fell by 10%.

On July 29th, a panel of advisors to Japan's Ministry of Labor recommended raising the national average minimum hourly wage by 4.9% to 1,176 yen (approximately US$7.18) for the current fiscal year. While lower than last year's record 6.3% increase, this is still an increase of 55 yen per hour, the second-highest increase on record. The new minimum wage standard will apply to more than 50 million workers and is expected to be implemented gradually starting in October after local authorities determine their respective standards. This will support the Bank of Japan's efforts to create a virtuous cycle—where wage growth leads to stronger demand and stable price increases—a key factor for further interest rate hikes. The pressure on the central bank to continue raising benchmark interest rates is mounting as a weaker yen leads to higher costs for imported energy and food, squeezing household spending.

Rio Tinto (RIO.N) CEO: Considering how best to achieve profitability at the Kennecott copper smelter in the United States.

New A-share IPO N Qian'an saw its share price surge by 167%, triggering a temporary trading halt, with turnover exceeding 460 million yuan.

July 29th - Lower-than-expected inflation in Australia in June eased pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to adjust policy in the near term, giving it more room to continue assessing the economic outlook. Following the data release, the Australian dollar and Australian bond yields fell. The RBA raised interest rates at its first three meetings this year in an attempt to curb inflationary pressures that had already emerged before the global energy shock triggered by the Iraq War. Wednesday's CPI figures suggest that despite persistently high prices, the RBA is unlikely to need to tighten monetary policy again on August 11th, when it will also release updated quarterly forecasts.

July 29th - Lloyd Chan, senior foreign exchange analyst at MUFG Bank, stated in a research report that the US dollar is likely to receive support if the Federal Reserve's FOMC maintains interest rates at their current level in a "tight" stance. Our baseline scenario is a tighter stance with rates unchanged, in which the Fed is likely to keep rates unchanged and emphasize that inflation risks remain high. This could support US Treasury yields and the dollar, thus exerting a broad drag on Asian forex markets. If the Fed continues to emphasize its policy stance of maintaining high interest rates for an extended period, the risk balance will still tilt towards the dollar remaining resilient.

On July 29th, the highest 7-day annualized yield of Tencent Wealth Management's "Current Account +" was 1.3900%, and the lowest was 0.7050%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of WeChat Pay's "Lingqian Tong" was 1.0110%, and the lowest was 0.9020%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of Alipay's "Yu'ebao" was 1.0090%, and the lowest was 0.9040%.