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On April 5th, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stated in his blog that the average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks in March exceeded HK$300 billion, an increase of over 8% compared to the same period last year. This reflects Hong Kong's status as a reliable safe haven for capital, coupled with the stable economic growth of mainland China and the large number of high-quality companies listing in Hong Kong, providing investors with abundant investment opportunities. Chan noted that as of March 27th, Hong Kong's IPO fundraising this year has exceeded HK$103 billion, ranking first globally. Including subsequent financing, the total fundraising scale is approximately HK$237 billion. More importantly, an increasing number of companies listing in Hong Kong are emerging industries, with over 500 applications currently in the queue. It can be said that more and more companies view Hong Kong as an important window for financing and overseas expansion.

April 5th - According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, the total number of Israelis hospitalized due to the conflict since the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iraq conflict has risen to 6,833, with 138 still receiving treatment in hospitals.

April 5th - According to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., on April 4th, the national railway system transported 22.123 million passengers, setting a new record for single-day passenger volume during the Qingming Festival holiday. On April 5th, the national railway system is expected to transport 14.7 million passengers, with 768 additional passenger trains planned.

Bahrain's national oil and gas company confirmed that an incident occurred at one of its oil storage facilities on Sunday following an Iranian attack, resulting in a fire in the oil tanks. The fire has been completely extinguished, the situation is under control, and damage is currently being assessed. No casualties have been reported.

April 5th - According to the Financial Times, the UK is trying to persuade Anthropic to expand its operations in the country. The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, stated that the UK government's proposals to Anthropic range from expanding its London office to a dual listing. Neither Anthropic nor the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology immediately responded to Reuters' requests for comment. Prime Minister Starmer's office has been supporting the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's efforts, and the UK will present these proposals to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei during his visit to the UK at the end of May. The US government previously blacklisted Anthropic, deeming it a national security supply chain risk because Anthropic refused to allow the military to use its AI chatbot Claude in US surveillance or autonomous weapons systems. A US judge has temporarily blocked the blacklist, and the AI startup has filed a second lawsuit related to this supply chain risk assessment, which is still pending.

The local governor said an oil pipeline in Primorsk, a Baltic port in Russia, was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack.

On April 5th, Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based remote sensing satellite data company, announced on April 4th that it would indefinitely suspend the release of satellite imagery of Iran and conflict zones in the Middle East, at the request of the U.S. government. Planet Labs announced the decision in an email to its clients, stating that the U.S. government had instructed all satellite imagery providers to indefinitely cease providing imagery of the conflict areas. Last month, Planet Labs had already extended the imagery release delay from four days to 14 days; this new restriction is a further escalation of measures aimed at preventing adversaries from using the imagery to attack the United States and its allies.

On April 5th, German Foreign Minister Waldfol called on the EU to abolish the principle that decisions require unanimous consent from all member states in order for the EU to "truly grow." According to German sources on April 4th, Waldfol proposed abolishing the principle of unanimous consent in foreign and security policy formulation before the next European Parliament elections, so that the EU can "better act internationally and truly grow." Regarding the reasons for this suggestion, Waldfol said, "All our experiences in recent weeks regarding aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia show that this should be done." Since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis on February 24, 2022, Hungary has frequently disagreed with most EU countries on its policies towards Russia and Ukraine, opposing sanctions against Russia, Ukraine's accession to the EU, and the provision of military aid to Ukraine. On March 19th of this year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked a €90 billion aid loan from the EU to Ukraine at the EU summit.

On April 5th, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan published a blog post summarizing Hong Kong's economic outlook for the first quarter of 2026. Chan stated that with the first quarter of 2026 just concluded, the global situation remains complex and volatile, with the shadow of conflict in the Middle East continuing to weigh on market sentiment. Dragged down by external factors, the Hong Kong stock market experienced a correction, with the Hang Seng Index falling by approximately 2% year-to-date. However, trading remained active, with the average daily turnover in the first two months exceeding HK$260 billion, a year-on-year increase of 17%. Entering March, market activity further intensified, with the average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks exceeding HK$300 billion, an increase of over 8% compared to the same period last year. This reflects investors' increased asset allocation in Hong Kong amidst uncertainty, not only viewing Hong Kong as a reliable safe haven for funds but also benefiting from the stable growth of the mainland economy and the large number of high-quality companies listing in Hong Kong, providing them with numerous investment opportunities.

On April 5th, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po published a blog post stating that Hong Kong's IPO market continued its strong performance from last year in the first quarter of this year. As of March 27th, the amount raised exceeded HK$103 billion, ranking first globally; including subsequent financing, the total amount raised was approximately HK$237 billion. More importantly, an increasing number of companies listing in Hong Kong are from emerging industries—artificial intelligence, semiconductors, robotics, autonomous driving, and biotechnology. Currently, there are over 500 applications waiting to list in Hong Kong. It can be said that as the external environment becomes increasingly uncertain, more companies see Hong Kong as an important window for financing and overseas expansion.

April 5th - According to the Financial Times, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen to shipping, the amount of crude oil and refined products lost in April will be double the amount lost in March. Even after the conflict ends, it will take a long time to return to normal. "We are monitoring all critical energy assets in the region hourly," he said, referring to oil and gas fields, pipelines, refineries, and liquefied natural gas terminals. "Currently, 72 energy assets have been damaged, and a third of them are severely or very severely damaged," he added. Birol praised Saudi Arabia's swift response to the crisis, noting that the country diverted more than two-thirds of its oil exports via a pipeline to the Red Sea. Birol stated that Saudi Arabia's highest authorities assured him that the critical pipeline was well protected. However, Birol pointed out that if this route were attacked, the consequences for the global economy would be extremely severe.

April 5th - According to the Financial Times, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that countries must resist the urge to hoard oil and fuel amid the energy crisis triggered by the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Supply is expected to decrease further if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. "I urge all countries not to impose export bans or restrictions," Birol stated. "This is the worst time for the global oil market. If countries hoard oil and fuel, their trading partners, allies, and neighbors will suffer." This likely refers to the United States. With gasoline prices exceeding $4 per gallon and California facing jet fuel shortages, rumors are circulating in the US about a possible ban on refined petroleum product exports. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has so far only ruled out a ban on crude oil exports. Birol stated that some countries are already hoarding energy, undermining the effectiveness of the IEA's release of 400 million barrels of crude oil and fuel from its emergency reserves to stabilize markets during the current conflict.

UAE authorities say the UAE faces the threat of Iranian missile attacks.

Market news: A missile launched from Iran has targeted oil storage facilities in Bahrain.

According to the official measurement of the China Earthquake Networks Center, a 3.6-magnitude earthquake occurred at 10:39 on April 5 in Gaochang District, Turpan City, Xinjiang (43.34 degrees north latitude, 88.94 degrees east longitude), with a focal depth of 36 kilometers.

April 5th - "Currently, all the new bikes in our store meet the new national standard; we don't have any old standard electric bicycles for sale. Monthly sales are a bit better than the first month after the new standard was implemented, but we still need to promote them to sell slowly. Our store needs to sell an average of 5 or 6 bikes a day, otherwise we can't survive," said Yang Li (pseudonym), a Yadea dealer in Guangzhou. She added that the biggest challenge facing electric bicycle dealers this year is the cancellation of the national subsidy policy for electric bicycles. According to the 2026 national subsidy policy, electric bicycles are no longer included in the list of six categories of consumer goods eligible for trade-in subsidies. Local governments have also not yet introduced local subsidies for electric bicycles. A survey of electric bicycle sales in several cities revealed that dealers reported that during the painful transition between the old and new national standards, in the first quarter, manufacturers had to cover the costs of end-user promotions, but store sales still showed a significant year-on-year decline.

The China Earthquake Networks Center automatically determined that an earthquake of approximately magnitude 4.0 occurred at 10:21 AM on April 5th near Keping County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang (40.12°N, 78.13°E). The final result is subject to the official rapid report.

Market news: Refueling restrictions have been implemented at four Italian airports.