China recorded more than 1.5 billion cross-regional trips during the five-day May Day holiday period, with average daily trips rising 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The China Bulk Price Index increased 1.7% month-on-month in April. The 2026 May Day holiday box office surpassed 700 million yuan. The Reserve Bank of Australia implemented its third interest rate hike this year.
Domestically, railway passenger traffic reached 20.38 million on May 4, bringing total holiday railway trips to 117 million since April 29. Railway authorities planned to add 2,225 extra trains on May 5 to handle returning travelers. Cross-regional mobility during the first five days of May totaled 1.525 billion trips, averaging 30.5 million daily, representing a 4% increase from 2025 levels.
The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing reported the April China Bulk Price Index reached 132.1 points, up 1.7% from March though the growth rate slowed by 2.3 percentage points. The index showed a 20.2% year-on-year increase. According to Maoyan data, the 2026 May Day holiday box office exceeded 700 million yuan by May 5, with "The Vanishing," "Cold War 1994," and "The Devil Wears Prada 2" ranking as the top three films.
Automakers reported mixed April sales results. BAIC BluePark produced 8,938 vehicles, down 33.71% year-on-year, while sales surged 70.99% to 17,658 units. SAIC Motor sold 328,800 vehicles in April, down 12.66% year-on-year, though new energy vehicle sales grew 11.23% to 142,500 units. Great Wall Motor reported April sales of 106,300 vehicles, up 6.25% year-on-year.
HEC announced its subsidiary Dongguan HEC Yunzhisuan Technology signed a computing power service framework contract with a company valued between 16 billion and 19 billion yuan, valid for 60 months after project acceptance.
Internationally, Australia's central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points, marking its third hike this year following increases in February and March, bringing the benchmark rate to 4.35%. Indonesia's central statistics agency reported first-quarter GDP growth of 5.61%, accelerating from 5.39% in the previous quarter and significantly higher than the 4.87% growth recorded a year earlier, demonstrating economic resilience driven by domestic demand and government spending.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that prolonged Middle East conflict through 2027 could push oil prices to around $125 per barrel, deepening impacts on prices and economic growth. The International Energy Agency's 2026 Global Methane Tracker report indicated fossil fuel-related methane emissions remained at very high levels in 2025 with no signs of decline globally, noting that addressing methane emissions could yield significant energy security benefits.
Comments