CryptocurrencySniper

As the Middle East conflict continues to drive up energy prices, U.S. consumer confidence declined again this month, hitting a new all-time low.
The latest survey released by the University of Michigan on Friday showed that the preliminary May Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2, the lowest level since records began in 1952, compared to an expected value of 49.5.
Just last month, the index had already dropped to a historic low, even below the levels seen during the 2008 global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent high-inflation period.
The survey indicated that the current conditions index, which reflects the current economic situation, plummeted by 9%. Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan Consumer Survey, said this was mainly due to consumers' concerns about high prices.

On May 8, Shengtong Co., Ltd.’s list of the top ten shareholders showed Fifteen Ridge Mountain Psychiatric Hospital, making it the 9th largest shareholder, and the stock price rose as a result. The hospital’s controlling holder invests idle money and is optimistic about children’s education and technology education; the boss’s son has a connection with Shengtong’s programming education. In 2025, the company’s total revenue was 2.038 billion yuan, with net profit of 7.5261 million yuan, and the education segment incurred a loss. The company said it will use printing as its core business, treat education as a long-term growth driver, shut down inefficient stores, focus on offline operations in first- and second-tier cities, and advance franchise expansion.

The foreign official institutions managed by the Federal Reserve saw their U.S. Treasury holdings decrease by $8.7 billion in the week ending May 6, falling to $2.73 trillion; during the same period, Japan may have sold U.S. Treasuries to support the yen in market intervention. Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt; if U.S. Treasury holdings continue to decline, it could push up yields. Analysts say that several of these actions becoming routine may impact the U.S. Treasury market.

In April, non-farm payrolls increased by 115k, far exceeding the expected 62k, indicating employment resilience.
Revised to 185k in March, and February revised to -15,600, for a total decline of 16k.
Oil price fluctuations and the Strait of Hormuz conflict did not drag down employment, and the June rate cut expectations were disappointed.
Policy direction will depend on the Iran nuclear deal and geopolitical situation.
Private sector added 123k jobs, led by healthcare, transportation and warehousing, and retail, while government employment decreased by 8,000.
Hourly wages +0.2%, average hours worked 34.3 hours, unemployment rate 4.3% in line with expectations.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers stated that the online rumor that "8 new energy vehicle companies were interviewed for lock-in of batteries and 3 were filed" is false information, lacking official sources, and seriously inconsistent with the facts. All regulatory updates should be based on official information from the competent authorities. They also call on automakers to improve information transparency while optimizing battery management, ensure consumers' right to know and choose, establish efficient after-sales communication channels, properly handle complaints related to battery lock-in, and maintain brand reputation.

Recently, the stock trading activities of psychiatric hospitals have sparked heated discussions in the A-share market. Shangrao Guangfeng District Fifteen Ridge Mountain Psychiatric Hospital Co., Ltd. became the 8th largest circulating shareholder of Shengtong Shares with 1.43 million shares, accounting for 0.36% of the circulating shares, with a market value exceeding ten million yuan, even surpassing Goldman Sachs International. The hospital is a profit-oriented private hospital specializing in secondary psychiatric care, and its shareholding is considered a normal activity in the capital market. In fact, long-term presence of non-mainstream shareholders such as kindergartens, nursing homes, hospitals, and primary schools in the top ten circulating shareholders of A-shares reflects a diversification of participating entities and has become a hot topic due to the contrast between their identities and the capital market.

Strait of Hormuz becomes a focal point in US-Iran negotiations!
According to the latest news, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 8th local time that if progress is not made, the U.S. may restart the "Freedom Plan."
On the same day, Iranian armed forces engaged in "sporadic clashes" with U.S. warships in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has now ceased, and the situation has returned to calm.
Ship tracking data shows that as of the morning of the 8th local time, no large vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.
International oil prices rose slightly on the 8th. By the close of that day, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at $95.42 per barrel, up 0.64%; July

In the first quarter, China's gold consumption was 303.292 tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.41%; among them, gold jewelry was 84.62 tons, down 37.1%, and gold bars/coins were 202.062 tons, up 46.4%. International gold prices fluctuated significantly, global demand increased year-on-year, central banks increased holdings by 244 tons, and global gold bars/coins reached 474 tons, with investment demand slightly declining. Stablecoin holdings of gold increased, and future gold demand may continue to rise.

Li Qiang presided over the State Council executive meeting to study and promote work related to resolving local government debt risks.
(Source: CCTV.com)

Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting. The meeting pointed out that we must earnestly unify our thinking and actions with the Communist Party of China Central Committee’s scientific judgment of the current situation, further strengthen confidence, seize opportunities in responding to changing circumstances, and promote development by tackling tough problems and overcoming difficulties—thereby consolidating and expanding the momentum of the economy trending steadily toward improvement and striving to achieve a good start to the “15th Five-Year Plan.” Macro policies should focus on making good use of, and fully using, policy tools; adhere to proactive efforts; and continuously enhance implementation effectiveness. To strengthen the domestic large circulation, breakthroughs should be sought in coordinated supply-and-demand and linked, upgraded development, and measures to expand capacity and improve the quality of the service sector should be implemented and further refined. Strengthening the planning and construction of infrastructure such as water networks, new power grids, computing power networks, next-generation communication networks, urban underground utility pipe networks, logistics networks, and others is required. For people’s livelihood security, more efforts should be directed toward stabilizing employment and bolstering the safety net, and efforts should be made to ensure the quality of education, medical care, and other services.

Our independently developed fourth-generation superconducting quantum computer, "Benyuan Wukong-180," is now online, equipped with 180 qubits and fully self-developed along the entire chain, beginning to accept global tasks. As global competition intensifies, quantum technology has become a key national strategy, with China promoting the industrialization of quantum technology and related planning. The industry has enormous potential, with the global market expected to reach approximately $220 billion by 2030 and over $800 billion by 2035, maintaining high growth in the long term.

The Yibin City Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Sichuan has released a statement regarding reports online that people from Yibin were involved in the “Honduras” cruise ship incident. It said: Chen, a native of Yibin, disembarked on March 31; the first case on the cruise ship boarded on April 1; there was no temporal or spatial overlap between the two. Since Chen disembarked 39 days ago, he has had no symptoms, and tests for hantavirus for both Chen and his family members are negative. After expert review and assessment, Chen has no infection risk or risk of community transmission.

"Historically, the domestic electrolytic aluminum industry has never made much money. Now, this level of profitability is causing confusion and concern among everyone." A person from a large publicly listed electrolytic aluminum company expressed this sentiment to Caixin Media.
Since the beginning of this year, under the influence of factors such as rigid global supply, electricity cost support, and expanding overseas supply and demand gaps, electrolytic aluminum prices have fluctuated upward, driving the net profits of related listed companies to reach the highest levels for the same period in history in the first quarter. However, investors are generally worried: how long can the high profitability of the electrolytic aluminum industry last amid weak demand and highly uncertain Middle East situations? Has the recent high inventory level shown signs of a turning point? How do industry insiders view the future trend of the industry?
Caixin

As the “annual report season” overlaps with the end of the “quarterly report period,” BYD’s bizarre financial data has come to light.
Chinese fund reporters found that in the first quarter of 2026, BYD’s R&D expenses fell by more than 20% year-on-year, while most other listed automakers saw their R&D expenses rise year-on-year.
In recent years, BYD’s R&D spending has continued to grow and has steadily ranked first among A-share companies. In its 2025 annual report, BYD said: “In the future, we will continue to increase R&D investment to drive the company’s supply chain toward sustained independent innovation and development.”
The question this raises is: Did BYD’s R&D investment increase in the first quarter of 2026? If R&D investment increased, why did R&D expenses decline year-on-year?

Many storage vendors have seen rapid growth in their latest quarterly earnings, and news about storage companies increasing employee salaries is also spreading on social media.
Recently, there are reports that SK Hynix (000660.KS) Korean employees will receive an average bonus of 6.1 million RMB. The source of this news is a forecast from the international investment bank Macquarie Securities. The bank believes that if SK Hynix's operating profit reaches 447 trillion Korean won in 2027, based on 10% of operating profit and the total number of employees around 35k at the end of last year, the total dividend distribution will reach approximately 44.7 trillion Korean won, with an average bonus of about 1.29 billion Korean won, close to 6.1 million RMB.
On May 9th, SK Hynix responded to a reporter from Yicai.

According to reports, as the cost of memory chips rises and ByteDance accelerates its AI deployment, the company has increased this year's AI infrastructure spending plan by 25% to 200 billion yuan.
(Original source: Cailian Press)

Since the beginning of this year, sulfur prices have continued to rise, from about 3,850 yuan/ton at the start of the year to 6,867 yuan/ton in May, an increase of approximately 80%, with nearly a 600% rise since the second half of 2024. Global supply and demand tensions, Middle East conflicts, and port restrictions have driven prices higher. Downstream phosphate fertilizer and titanium dioxide companies face rising costs, and companies are alleviating pressure through multi-channel procurement and cost reduction measures. Customs has suspended sulfuric acid exports since May, making domestic supply more of a concern. The market may fluctuate at high levels in the future, with limited capacity for increased production.

According to a report by the main station's reporter on the 8th local time, senior Iranian officials stated that if a ceasefire framework agreement is reached, Iran could open the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday or Friday before the meeting with the United States held in Pakistan. However, the reopening will be limited, and all ships will still need to coordinate with the Iranian military.
(Source: CCTV News Client)