From April 27 to May 03, a series of significant financial events are scheduled, all times listed are in Beijing Time.
The main events for the upcoming week are as follows: A pivotal week for central banks. The Federal Reserve (April 29), the Bank of Japan (April 28), the Bank of England and the European Central Bank (April 30), and the Bank of Canada (April 29) will announce their interest rate decisions consecutively. Markets widely anticipate that all five major central banks will hold rates steady. However, the Bank of Japan might signal a hawkish tilt towards a June rate hike due to Middle East conflicts and inflationary pressures, making it a key focus. JPMorgan forecasts the Federal Reserve will keep rates unchanged throughout 2026, with the next potential adjustment being a rate hike in the third quarter of 2027. A peak week for corporate earnings. Key members of the "MAG7" group—Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Meta—are set to release their quarterly reports. Storage giants Samsung Electronics, Western Digital, Seagate Technology, and SanDisk will also report results simultaneously. Domestically, first-quarter reports from leading companies like BYD, Industrial Fulian, Cambricon, Sinopec, and China Merchants Bank will be disclosed. Notably, April 30 stands out as the most event-packed day of the week, featuring both major central bank announcements and significant earnings reports. Domestically, a crucial Politburo meeting is also expected to convene around late April. A dense schedule of data and events. The US will release March PCE data—the Fed's preferred inflation gauge—and Q1 GDP figures on April 30. China will publish its official April Manufacturing PMI and March industrial enterprise profit data. Other noteworthy events include the first Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting post-Buffett's chairmanship (May 2), the A-share market closure for Labor Day (May 1-5), and the open testing phase for Alibaba's HappyHorse.
Economic Indicators
Interest Rate Decisions from Five Major Central Banks
Next week, key global central banks—including those of the US, Japan, the Eurozone, the UK, and Canada—will announce their interest rate decisions. Amid energy price shocks from the Middle East and heightened global uncertainty, markets broadly expect these five central banks to maintain current interest rates.
The Bank of Japan's decision on April 28 is first. It is widely expected to keep its short-term policy rate at 0.75%, with Governor Kazuo Ueda holding a press conference the same day. Analysis suggests that while policy is likely unchanged this time, the Bank of Japan might use its quarterly outlook report to signal a potential rate hike in June, reflecting pressures from Middle East conflicts and inflation. The Federal Reserve's FOMC decision is scheduled for April 29 (US Eastern Time), followed by a press conference with Chair Jerome Powell. The consensus expectation is for the Fed to hold the federal funds rate steady within the 3.5%-3.75% target range. JPMorgan anticipates the Fed will keep rates unchanged for the entirety of 2026, with the next move potentially being a 25-basis-point hike in Q3 2027. Their economist, Michael Feroli, noted that while Middle East tensions have pushed energy prices higher, the core CPI rose only 0.2% month-over-month in March, indicating underlying inflation remains contained, and March non-farm payrolls increased by 178,000 with the unemployment rate falling to 4.3%. The Bank of Canada is expected to announce its decision on April 29, with markets anticipating it will maintain its policy rate at 2.25%. The European Central Bank and the Bank of England will announce their decisions on April 30, accompanied by their quarterly monetary policy reports. Press conferences will be held by Christine Lagarde and Andrew Bailey, respectively. Bloomberg expects both banks to keep rates unchanged. Additionally, the central banks of Thailand and Brazil, among others, will also announce rate decisions.
US PCE Data
On April 30, the US will release March PCE inflation data. Influenced by rising energy prices due to Middle East conflicts, the headline PCE is forecast to show a year-on-year increase, while the core PCE is expected to remain relatively moderate. This data release follows closely after the Fed's April 28-29 policy meeting, giving it significant signaling importance.
China's Official Manufacturing PMI
China's official Manufacturing PMI for April will be released on April 30. A key point of focus is whether the improvement in manufacturing activity can be sustained. Previously, the March PMI reading was 50.4%, a 1.4 percentage point increase from February, moving back above the 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction. Data on profits for China's industrial enterprises for March will also be released on April 27.
Financial Events
Potential Late-April Politburo Meeting
China's Politburo meeting is typically held in late April. Bohai Securities suggests that the April Politburo meeting and Q1 economic data may become the core narrative for the macro environment ahead. Huaxi Securities believes the A-share market should subsequently focus on the guidance from the late-April Politburo meeting and corporate earnings reports from high-growth sectors.
Post-Buffett Era: Berkshire's First Annual Meeting
The Berkshire Hathaway 2026 annual shareholders meeting is scheduled from 20:00 Beijing Time on May 2 to 03:00 on May 3. This will be the first meeting chaired by new CEO Greg Abel following Warren Buffett's departure from the role.
Continued Monitoring of Iran Situation
The situation regarding Iran continues to warrant close attention. According to comprehensive reports from CCTV, former US President Trump cancelled a planned US delegation visit, stating "just call if you want to talk." Iran indicated that "if the US stance softens, a second round of talks could be held in the coming days."
Iran Announces Major National Parade
According to CCTV News, Iran announced it will hold a large-scale national parade demonstrating national strength across the country at 3:00 PM local time on April 29.
A-Share Market Closure for Labor Day
The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges announced the 2026 Labor Day holiday schedule. The market will be closed from May 1 (Friday) to May 5 (Tuesday), resuming normal trading on May 6 (Wednesday). Additionally, the market will be closed on May 9 (Saturday) for the regular weekend.
Over 18 Films Set for May Day Holiday Release
More than 18 films are scheduled for release during the 2026 May Day holiday period, spanning genres including action, comedy, suspense, drama, and animation. Key titles include the action film "1994: The Cold War," the sequel "The Devil Wears Prada 2," the highly anticipated Chaozhou-dialect film "A Love Letter to Grandma," the police-action movie "10-Man Suicide Squad," and animated features like "Red Boy: King of Flame Mountain."
Alibaba's HappyHorse to Begin Open Testing
According to information obtained, HappyHorse-1.0 will gradually open API testing through Alibaba Cloud's Bailian platform starting April 27, with the first phase targeting enterprise clients. Following the open testing phase in late April, HappyHorse-1.0 is scheduled for official commercial release in May.
Microsoft to Release Microsoft Agent 365 (International Version)
It was learned from the Microsoft AI Tour annual event that Microsoft Agent 365 (International Version) and Microsoft 365 E7 (International Version) will be released on May 1. Since their preview at Ignite 2025, tens of thousands of customers have already adopted Agent 365 for deploying and scaling AI agents within their enterprises.
Google to Increase Prices for Cloud, CDN, and AI Infrastructure Services
According to an announcement on the Google Cloud official website, the company will raise prices for services including Google Cloud, CDN, Peering, and AI infrastructure effective May 1, 2026. For CDN, prices in North America will increase from $0.04/GB to $0.08/GB; in Europe from $0.05/GB to $0.08/GB; and in Asia from $0.06/GB to $0.085/GB.
Price Increases by JieJie Microelectronics, Invt, and HuiFeng Diamond
JieJie Microelectronics: IGBT product prices are expected to increase by 10%-20% effective May 1. Invt: Prices for some industrial automation products will rise effective May 1, with increases up to 15%. HuiFeng Diamond: The company will implement a structural price increase of 8% to 12% for its industrial diamond product series effective May 1.
China to Fully Implement Zero Tariffs on 100% of Product Lines from Africa
According to CCTV News, Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China will fully implement zero tariffs on 100% of product lines originating from Africa effective May 1. Driven by China's high-level opening-up, this "subtraction" in tariffs is intended to create an "addition" in trade and a "multiplication" in livelihoods, allowing China's vast market to provide greater opportunities for Africa.
9th Digital China Summit Opens
The 9th Digital China Summit will be held in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, from April 29 to April 30.
Guangdong Province Artificial Intelligence Application Matchmaking Conference
The Guangdong Province Artificial Intelligence Application Matchmaking Conference is scheduled for April 27. The one-day conference will follow a "1+5" format, featuring a main session in the morning and five thematic matchmaking sessions in the afternoon. The main venue is located in Shenzhen.
Earnings Reports
Earnings from MAG7, Storage Giants, and Domestic Industry Leaders
The earnings season peaks next week with quarterly reports from core MAG7 constituents like Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Meta. Storage giants Samsung Electronics, Western Digital, Seagate Technology, and SanDisk will also report concurrently. Domestically, first-quarter results from leaders such as Industrial Fulian, BYD, Cambricon, MuXi, Seres, Sinopec, and China Merchants Bank will be released.
Earnings Call Schedule
Samsung Electronics will hold its Q1 earnings conference call on April 30 at 10:00 AM Korea Standard Time (9:00 AM Beijing Time). Alphabet will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss Q1 2026 results on Wednesday, April 29, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time (4:30 AM Beijing Time, Thursday, April 30). Apple will hold a conference call to discuss Q2 fiscal year results and business updates on Thursday, April 30, at 2:00 PM Pacific Time (5:00 PM Eastern Time), corresponding to 5:00 AM Beijing Time on Friday, May 1, 2026. Meta's Q1 2026 earnings conference call is scheduled for 2:30 PM Pacific Time on April 29 (5:30 AM Beijing Time, Thursday, April 30). Microsoft's Q3 FY2026 earnings conference call is scheduled for 2:30 PM Pacific Time on April 29, 2026 (5:30 AM Beijing Time, April 30). Amazon will hold a conference call to discuss its Q1 2026 financial results at 2:30 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 29 (5:30 AM Beijing Time, Thursday, April 30).
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