Consumer spending during the Spring Festival holiday showed robust growth, with particularly strong demand for green, smart, and health-related products. According to business data analytics, sales of smart wearable devices on major platforms surged by 130% on February 15, while sales of smart blood pressure monitors and glucose meters increased by over 60%, and organic food sales rose by 52%. Spending on ice and snow tourism grew by 120%, and spending on warm-weather getaway travel increased by 68%.
The Office of the State Council's Safety Commission and the Ministry of Emergency Management convened a special meeting, emphasizing the need to strengthen safety regulations and public awareness campaigns covering the entire chain of fireworks production, transportation, sales, and usage. A comprehensive risk assessment will be conducted to firmly uphold safety standards. Inspection teams will be dispatched to supervise local authorities in implementing strict checks and enforcement.
Data from the China Automobile Dealers Association indicates that in January, the national transaction volume for the used car market reached 1.7292 million vehicles, marking a year-on-year increase of 18.33%, with a total transaction value of 110.612 billion yuan. The vehicle transfer rate for used cars was 35.03% in January, showing growth both month-on-month and year-on-year. The total number of transferred used vehicles was 605,800, a 43.3% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting enhanced cross-regional circulation activity and further unlocking the circulation value of used cars.
On February 18, domestic gold jewelry prices saw a decline, with the per-gram price for pure gold jewelry offered by several major brands falling below 1,500 yuan. Chow Tai Fook quoted 1,499 yuan per gram, Lao Feng Xiang quoted 1,499 yuan per gram, and Luk Fook Jewellery quoted 1,497 yuan per gram. Chow Sang Sang and another major brand maintained their prices at the 1,500 yuan level, quoting 1,500 yuan and 1,510 yuan per gram, respectively.
According to Lighthouse Pro, as of 00:43 on February 19, the total box office revenue for the 2026 Spring Festival season, including pre-sales, has surpassed 2.4 billion yuan.
As of the end of January, the China Export-Import Bank's outstanding loan balance for Belt and Road Initiative projects exceeded 2 trillion yuan, covering more than 130 partner countries. Funds have been primarily directed towards trade, infrastructure connectivity, overseas investment, industrial capacity cooperation, advanced manufacturing, green development, and improvements in people's livelihoods.
Disclosures from US institutional investors' 13F filings reveal that as of the end of 2025, the total market value of the portfolio managed by Duan Yongping's H&H International Investment was approximately $17.489 billion, equivalent to over 120 billion yuan. The portfolio consists of holdings in 14 companies, including Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, NVIDIA, Pinduoduo, and Occidental Petroleum. During the fourth quarter of 2025, Duan significantly increased his stake in NVIDIA and also added to positions in Pinduoduo and Berkshire Hathaway, while initiating small new positions in three AI-related companies. Concurrently, he reduced holdings in Apple, Alibaba, and Occidental Petroleum.
The minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting indicated significant divergence among policymakers regarding the future path of interest rates. Beyond those advocating for rate cuts and those favoring a wait-and-see approach, the minutes for the first time explicitly mentioned discussions about the possibility of raising rates. Some participants supported using "two-sided" language in policy guidance, suggesting that rate hikes could be appropriate if inflation persists above the 2% target. Others believed further rate cuts might be suitable if inflation declines as expected. Most officials cautioned that the process of bringing inflation down could be slower than anticipated.
According to a senior US official on February 18, President Trump's National Security Advisor discussed Iran during a meeting in the White House Situation Room. It was stated that all US military units involved in the Middle East buildup should be deployed by mid-March. The official also mentioned that the US expects Iran to submit a written proposal addressing the current impasse following talks in Geneva. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel on February 28 to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Iran.
Russian media reported on February 18 that no documents were signed during the two-day trilateral talks involving Russia, the United States, and Ukraine held in Geneva.
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party president, Takaichi Sanae, was elected as the country's 105th prime minister on February 18 following a vote in both houses of the Diet.
Trade statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance on February 18 showed that Japan's exports to the United States fell year-on-year for the second consecutive month in January, influenced by US tariff policies. The data indicated that exports to the US declined by 5% to 1.46 trillion yen, dragged down by reduced shipments of pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and metalworking machinery.
Data from the UK's Office for National Statistics showed that the UK Consumer Price Index rose by 3.0% year-on-year in January, down from the 3.4% increase recorded in December. The core CPI, which excludes energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, rose by 3.1% year-on-year in January, slightly lower than the 3.2% increase in December.
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