新华网财经·2025-05-15 05:03Market Overview - A-shares experienced overall weakness and volatility in the morning session, with major sectors such as brokerage, liquor, and pharmaceuticals undergoing corrections, leading to declines in the three major stock indices [1] - As of the midday break, the Shanghai Composite Index was at 3389.75 points, down 0.42%, while the Shenzhen Component and ChiNext Index fell by 1.12% and 1.35%, respectively [2] Precious Metals Sector - International gold prices saw a significant drop, with London spot gold falling from nearly $3200/oz to a low of $3149/oz, marking a decline of over 10% from the historical high of $3500/oz on April 22 [4] - The decline in gold prices negatively impacted the A-share precious metals sector, with the Shenwan Precious Metals Index dropping 1.29% in the morning session. Stocks such as Hunan Silver, Sichuan Gold, and Chifeng Gold fell over 2% [7][8] Rare Earth Sector - The rare earth permanent magnet sector showed strong performance in the morning, with Jiuling Technology rising over 15% and Shenghe Resources increasing over 7% [9] - Shenghe Resources announced plans to acquire 100% equity of Peak Rare Earths Limited for AUD 158 million, focusing on rare earth exploration and production, particularly the Ngualla project in Tanzania [11] - China Rare Earths is actively working on resolving industry competition issues and is considering mergers and acquisitions, with expectations of improved supply-demand dynamics in the rare earth sector [11]