新华财经早报：5月1日

Group 1: Policy and Regulatory Developments - The Private Economy Promotion Law was passed on April 30 and will take effect on May 20, 2025, aimed at optimizing the development environment for the private economy and ensuring fair market competition [4] - Six departments, including the People's Bank of China, issued a notice to regulate supply chain finance, requiring core enterprises to pay small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) promptly and not to abuse their dominant position [4] - The Ministry of Agriculture emphasized stabilizing the production supply of important agricultural products and implementing measures to ensure summer grain harvest [4] Group 2: Economic Indicators - The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for April was reported at 49.0%, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a decline in manufacturing sentiment [4] - The Caixin China Manufacturing PMI for April recorded 50.4, down 0.8 percentage points from March, marking the lowest level in three months [4] Group 3: Financial Performance - The Shanghai Stock Exchange reported that listed companies achieved a total operating income of 49.57 trillion yuan in 2024, with a net profit of 4.35 trillion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 1.9% [5] - The Science and Technology Innovation Board companies had a total R&D investment of 1680.78 billion yuan in 2024, which is 2.5 times their net profit, showing a year-on-year increase of 6.4% [5] Group 4: Market Trends - The global gold demand reached 1206 tons in the first quarter of 2025, a 1% year-on-year increase, marking the strongest first-quarter demand since 2016 [7] - The Guangdong provincial government announced measures to stimulate market vitality, including interest subsidies for new bank loans to manufacturing and high-tech enterprises [5]