Next week's highlights: Trump issues another "final ultimatum," China-US inflation data, Samsung and Tianfu Communication earnings.

04/06 - 04/12 Major Financial Events of the Week, all times are Beijing Time: Core market themes for next week: Macroeconomics: Focus on inflation and monetary policy in China and the US. Bolstered by rising energy prices due to the Iran situation, US March CPI month-on-month may hit a new high since 2022, which will add "hawkish" pressure to the Fed's meeting minutes. Domestically, March CPI, PPI, and financial data will be intensively released. Also, rate decisions from India, New Zealand, and South Korea’s central banks will be announced—markets expect all three to maintain rates. Geopolitics: Continued attention on the Iran situation. Trump demands Iran open the Strait of Hormuz by April 6, Iran refuses this “final ultimatum.” Alongside the expiration of US permission for Russian oil sales, supply risks driven by geopolitical competition could directly impact oil prices and safe-haven assets. In addition, the NATO Secretary General will visit the US for talks with Trump. Industries: Haiguang Information and Tianfu Communication will release earnings, Samsung Electronics earnings forecast may be released. Commercial aerospace may see a surge of launches, including Long March 8A. The China Electronic Information Expo to showcase embodied intelligence and other cutting-edge tech. Xiaomi’s price adjustments reflect storage supply chain pressure, and with new car launches from NIO and the first Shenzhen Stock Exchange Q1 report, these factors will be hot themes for stock speculation next week. Also, Monday is Western Easter, with many European stock markets closed; Qingming Festival in China means A-shares and Hong Kong stocks are also closed. [Promotional content omitted.] Economic Indicators China’s CPI, PPI, FX reserves & financial data April 7: China’s March foreign exchange reserves announced; previously, China has increased gold holdings for 16 consecutive months. April 10: March CPI and PPI data released; Industrial Securities expects March PPI year-on-year may turn positive, possibly exceeding 1% in April. With post-Spring Festival effect fading, March CPI year-on-year may slightly retreat. Week of April 9: March financial data released; Industrial Securities expects March loans may rise seasonally, government bond issuance pace slowing year-on-year, total social financing and M1 growth may also fall. US March CPI & February PCE April 10: US March CPI announcement. Due to energy price increases caused by the Iran conflict, inflation is widely expected to rise. Predicted March CPI month-on-month increase could reach 0.9%, the highest since June 2022, with year-on-year growth expected to rise from 2.4% to 3.3%. April 9: US February PCE price index released, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. Core PCE month-on-month is expected to strengthen from 0.36% to 0.44%, year-on-year from 3.1% down to 3.0%. Significant divergence has existed between core PCE and core CPI since last September due to statistical differences. US Q4 real GDP also announced same day. Rate Decisions: South Korea, New Zealand, India; Japan February labor cash earnings Next week, India, New Zealand, and South Korea central banks will announce rate decisions, markets expect all to keep rates unchanged. Policy paths may depend on how Middle East tensions affect each local economy. April 8: Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare releases February labor cash earnings. Bloomberg estimates February year-on-year increase might slow to 2.5% from January’s 3.0%, real income gain to drop from 1.4% to 1.1%. Key focus will be whether strong wage negotiation momentum shows up in the data. Fed to release FOMC Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes Fed will publish minutes from the March 17-18 FOMC meeting. Market expects the minutes to show a tendency to stay on hold due to uncertainty from the Iran conflict. Powell indicated the committee will only consider overlooking oil shock issues after tariff effects fade and core inflation shows progress. 2027 FOMC vote member, Chicago Fed president Goolsbee will deliver remarks on monetary policy. Financial Events Continued attention on Iran; Trump issues “final ultimatum” According to Xinhua News, Trump gave Iran a 48-hour final ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz by April 6; Iran rejected the ultimatum. April 6 is also the deadline Trump set to postpone air strikes on Iran’s energy facilities, but Middle East tensions continue with both sides escalating military actions. US permit for certain Russian oil sales expires April 11 CCTV reports US Treasury issued general authorization allowing sale of Russian oil loaded on ships from March 12, valid until April 11, 00:01 EDT. NATO Secretary General to visit US April 8-12 for talks with Trump NATO says Secretary General Rutte will visit US April 8-12. On April 8, Rutte will meet US President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and Defense Secretary Hagseth. Xinhua previously reported Trump was “seriously considering” US withdrawal from NATO. Zheng Liwen to visit Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Beijing April 7-12 Chairman Zheng Liwen of the Kuomintang leads a delegation to visit Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Beijing from April 7-12. Long March 8A variant scheduled for launch April 7 April commercial space launches ramp up: 1. Tianlong 3 (20-ton liquid rocket’s first commercial flight) scheduled April 2; 2. Long March 8A variant expected April 7; 3. Zhuque 2E plans Jiuquan launch for reliability verification; 4. Zhuque 3 recovery test scheduled late April. Overseas, SpaceX: 1. Falcon 9: 3-4 routine launches expected in early April; 2. Starship V3 debut may happen mid-April; success would lay the foundation for lunar missions and space-based computing. Xiaomi to increase prices of some phones Xiaomi announced, due to persistently surging prices of memory chips and other key parts, from April 11, 2026, 00:00, it will adjust recommended retail prices for some products. Three models affected: REDMI K90 Pro Max price raised by 200 yuan, Turbo 5 and Turbo 5 Max cancel Spring special; 512G version receives continued 200-yuan subsidy. 14th China Electronic Information Expo opens The 14th China Electronic Information Expo (CITE 2026) will be held April 9-11, 2026, at Shenzhen Convention Center, with 1200+ industry leaders and innovation teams attending. The embodied intelligence sector will see leading companies like Unitree, Zongqing, Zhiyuan, Yuejiang, Lingxin Qiaoshou, etc. Also, the first AI OPC Robot/Hardware Hackathon will be held. ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held April 7-10. NIO ES9 tech release NIO will hold its ES9 product technology launch event on April 9 for its flagship large SUV, with the model debuting simultaneously. Financial Reports Samsung Electronics earnings forecast may be released Samsung Electronics will release Q1 2026 earnings preview next Tuesday; expected single-quarter operating profit nearly matches the full-year result for last year. LSEG consensus estimates: Samsung's Q1 operating profit could reach 40.5 trillion won (~$26.9 billion). By comparison, Samsung (the world’s largest memory chip maker) made 43.6 trillion won in all of 2025. LSEG data shows Q1 revenue likely up 50% year-over-year, powered by a “unprecedented super cycle” in memory chips. Next week, Haiguang Information, Inspur Information, Tianfu Communication, AEON, Fast Retailing, Qatar National Bank, Applied Digital, Exxon Mobil, and others will release financial reports. Scheduled Shenzhen Market Q1 2026 report disclosures led by Wohua Pharma Wohua Pharma will publish Q1 2026 results on April 8, the first in Shenzhen market, followed by ST Yunwang, Kairui De, Junda, Runze Technology, Chenhua, etc. (April 9 & 10). Overview of 2025 A-share annual financial report release dates for next week: (A-share, Hong Kong stock financial report release charts, images omitted.) Risk Disclaimer The market bears risks and investment must be prudent. This article does not constitute personalized investment advice and does not consider the special investment goals, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions are suited to their situation. All investment actions based on this article are at your own risk.