Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the fluctuations in commodity prices, particularly gold and oil, while highlighting the challenges in domestic demand and the impact of tariff policies on external trade [1][6]. Domestic Demand - Real estate and automobile sales are weakening, with new home sales growth turning negative in April and second-hand home sales declining while prices rise [2]. - The average daily box office revenue during the holiday was only 126 million yuan, about half of last year's figures, although per capita spending on travel increased slightly [2]. - Post-holiday consumer activity has decreased, with declines in visitor numbers at Shanghai Disneyland, shopping districts, hotel occupancy rates, and subway passenger volumes compared to the same period last year [2]. External Demand - The escalation of tariffs between the US and China continues, with Trump suspending additional tariffs but maintaining a 10% base tariff, leading to over 100% cumulative tariffs on China since his administration began [3]. - South Korea's export growth rebounded in early April, with improvements in shipping rates and loaded ship departures, possibly due to shifting trade policies creating export demand [4]. Production - Steel and cement production remain strong, but inventory levels are rising. Steel prices have dropped significantly, particularly for export-related products, while rebar production is increasing due to remaining profit margins [5]. - Cement prices have also begun to decline, although both cement shipment rates and mill operation rates have improved compared to last year, indicating a faster supply growth despite slow recovery in infrastructure and housing demand [5]. Commodity Prices - Gold prices have reached new highs, while copper prices have rebounded and oil prices have experienced a bottoming out and subsequent rebound [6]. - The uncertainty surrounding Trump's tariff policies has led to a decrease in recessionary trades, contributing to the rise in copper prices and fluctuations in oil prices [6]. - The lack of confidence in the US dollar system, exacerbated by ineffective deficit reduction plans, has prompted market participants to sell US assets, driving gold prices to new highs [7]. Future Focus - Attention will be on the developments regarding US tariffs and the economic data for March, including export figures [10].

Core Insights - China's industrial and service sectors experienced rapid growth in January and February, but domestic demand remains weak and external demand has also declined, indicating a need for further optimization in the supply-demand structure [1] Production Sector - The industrial added value growth rate exceeded market expectations, driven primarily by transportation equipment, metal products, and equipment manufacturing [1] - The service sector maintained a high growth rate, with modern service industries showing particularly strong performance [1] Demand Side - Investment growth in January and February significantly surpassed market expectations, largely due to strong performance in infrastructure investment and resilient manufacturing investment, while the decline in real estate investment has narrowed [1] - Consumer data for January and February fell slightly below market expectations, with commodity consumption growth remaining flat compared to December of the previous year; however, restaurant consumption saw a rebound due to the Spring Festival [1] - In specific categories, consumption related to trade-in subsidies has shown a decline in consumer sentiment [1] Future Outlook - The degree of weakening in export chain conditions and the effectiveness of domestic demand, particularly in boosting consumption, are two key areas to watch moving forward [1]

Economic Overview - In January-February 2025, both industrial and service sector production achieved rapid growth, but domestic demand remains weak and external demand has declined, indicating a need for further optimization of the supply-demand structure [1][2] - The industrial added value growth rate for January-February was 5.9%, significantly exceeding the market expectation of 5.1%, driven mainly by the transportation equipment, metal products, and equipment manufacturing sectors [3][4] - Investment growth in January-February significantly surpassed market expectations, primarily due to strong infrastructure investment performance, while manufacturing investment showed resilience and real estate investment's decline narrowed [14][25] Production Insights - The industrial added value growth was supported by "promoting consumption" and "grabbing exports," with manufacturing sector performance particularly strong in January-February [3][4] - The service sector also maintained a high growth rate, with modern service industries showing particularly good performance [3][4] - However, high-frequency data and tariff impacts suggest that both industrial and service sectors may face weakening pressures in the future [3][4] Investment Analysis - Total investment, infrastructure investment, manufacturing investment, and real estate development investment in January-February were 4.1%, 9.9%, 9.0%, and -9.8% respectively, showing significant improvements compared to the same period last year [14][25] - The strong performance of narrow infrastructure investment was attributed to the proactive commencement of major projects post-Spring Festival and good progress in the issuance of special bond funds [14][25] - Manufacturing investment is expected to improve in the second quarter of 2025, driven by the continuation of equipment renewal policies and marginal improvements in PPI [14][25] Consumption Trends - In January-February, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 837.31 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth rate of 4.0%, slightly below the market expectation of 4.5% [25] - The growth rate of commodity retail was recorded at 3.9%, while catering revenue growth increased to 4.3%, reflecting improved consumption during the Spring Festival [25] - Future consumption support is anticipated from the recovery of housing prices and stock markets, increased social security income, and the continuation of "old-for-new" policies [25]