21世纪经济报道·2025-08-18 10:27Market Overview - On August 18, the A-share market reached a historic moment with the Shanghai Composite Index opening high and breaking the previous high of 3731.69 points from February 2021, hitting a peak of 3745.94 points, the highest in nearly ten years since August 2015. The index closed at 3728.03 points, up 0.85% [1] - The A-share market set multiple records, including the North Star 50 Index rising over 4% to a historical high, and total trading volume in the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets reaching 2.76 trillion yuan, an increase of 519.6 billion yuan from the previous trading day, marking a new high for the year. Additionally, the total market capitalization of A-share companies exceeded 100 trillion yuan for the first time in history [1] Stock Performance - The strong market performance led to impressive individual stock results, with 358 stocks in the A-share market having more than 100% increase in their year-to-date performance, excluding newly listed stocks [1][3] - Among the 358 doubling stocks, the mechanical equipment and pharmaceutical industries contributed significantly, each having over 50 doubling stocks. The automotive industry followed with 29 doubling stocks, while the computer, national defense, and light manufacturing sectors each had over 10 doubling stocks [3] Economic Insights - The current market rally, which began at the start of the year, is attributed to China's recent push for technological innovation, with advancements in areas such as AI models, innovative drugs, and digital transformation enhancing the attractiveness of Chinese assets to global investors, thereby driving the prosperity of the Chinese stock market [3] - Economists noted that the capital market is stabilizing and improving under policy support. On the supply side, efforts to address "involution" competition and capacity management are expected to boost nominal GDP and improve corporate profit expectations. Continued policy resources are also promoting high-quality development in new industries such as "artificial intelligence+" and biomanufacturing [3] Notable Stocks - The stock with the highest increase this year is Aowei New Materials (603556.SH), which surged by 1368.35%, becoming the only "tenfold stock" of the year, driven by its association with the robotics concept of Zhiyuan Innovation Holdings. Other notable stocks include Shuyuan Pharmaceutical (300204.SZ), Great Wall Military Industry (601606.SH), and Shenghong Technology (300476.SZ), each with increases exceeding 400%, reflecting market interest in the biopharmaceutical, national defense, and electronics sectors [3][4]