U.S. natural gas futures surged 17%, reaching a new high since December 2022
According to a report from Caixin on January 26, due to extreme cold weather, not only has the heating demand significantly increased, but there have also been instances of oil well freezing. Driven by these factors, U.S. natural gas futures continued their previous upward trend, skyrocketing by 17% and successfully breaking through to reach the highest point since December 2022.
According to the news from the Financial Associated Press on January 26, multiple heavyweight stocks experienced huge sell orders during the closing auction. Among them, Zijin Mining's sell order amount was particularly prominent, exceeding 4 billion yuan; the sell order amounts for Ping An of China, Jiangxi Copper, China Tourism Group Duty Free Corporation, Shandong Gold, Wanhua Chemical, and Kweichow Moutai also exceeded 400 million yuan. Looking back at past data, several stocks including China Merchants Bank, Zijin Mining, and Yangtze Power also had sell order amounts exceeding 1 billion yuan on January 14, 2026.
The Ministry of Commerce emphasizes that China is willing to transform into a world market and provide new opportunities for the globe.
According to a report by Cai Lian She on January 26, Wang Zhihua, Director of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, attended a press conference held that day by the State Council Information Office. Wang Zhihua pointed out at the meeting that this year China will continue to unswervingly deepen high-level opening up and actively promote innovation and balanced development in trade. He particularly emphasized that China is not only willing to continue to contribute through the role of a 'world factory' but also hopes to become a 'world market.' The enormous market potential that China possesses will undoubtedly create broader opportunities for high-quality products and services from countries around the world.
【Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds: Strongly opposes interference by American politicians in normal exchanges between China and Central American countries】
According to reports from CCTV News and Caixin on January 26, during a routine press conference held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded to questions from relevant media. A reporter on site mentioned that after the United States released a new version of its national security strategy last month, it has significantly strengthened its strategic investment in the Western Hemisphere, and inquired about China's views on this matter.
In this regard, Guo Jiakun clearly stated that China firmly opposes the unfounded accusations and interference by certain American politicians regarding the normal exchanges between China and Central American countries. He pointed out that the related remarks are purely lies and fallacies, which actually reflect these politicians' own Cold War mentality and ideological biases.
Guo Jiakun emphasized that in the process of carrying out friendly cooperation with Central American countries, China has always adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect, win-win cooperation, and openness and inclusiveness. The cooperation between both sides has brought tangible benefits to the local people, and thus has received widespread welcome from the relevant countries. We urge American politicians to stop political manipulation on China-related issues and instead do more real things that are truly beneficial for promoting regional development and prosperity.
According to a report by Financial Associated Press on January 26, during a press conference held by the State Council Information Office, Wang Ya, the head of the Foreign Investment Management Division of the Ministry of Commerce, revealed to the public that a national-level comprehensive overseas service platform is set to officially launch in the near future.
This platform aims to build a "one-stop" overseas service system integrated with a single window function. In order to fully support enterprises in expanding their overseas business, the platform deeply coordinates and integrates service resources from various fields including trade promotion, customs, logistics, economic and trade, finance, taxation, law, and foreign affairs. In response to the common needs faced by enterprises during the "going global" process, the platform will provide comprehensive services including risk prevention and control, resource matching, dynamic information acquisition, country information inquiry, business handling, and policy consultation, aiming to provide strong support and convenience for enterprises to enter the global market.
According to a report from the Financial Associated Press on January 26, Deputy Minister of Commerce Yan Dong detailed the subsequent policy direction at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office. Yan Dong stated that future work will adhere to both external opening and internal relaxation. On one hand, the level of openness in the service industry will be further enhanced, focusing on deepening the openness of sectors such as biotechnology, cloud computing, and foreign-invested hospitals, while guiding foreign capital to flow more into the service consumption sector. On the other hand, regarding the domestic market, efforts will be made to eliminate unreasonable restrictive measures in the service consumption sector that do not conform to market operation rules and restrict consumption upgrades, thereby encouraging various types of business entities to participate in fair competition and promoting orderly industry development.
According to a report by Caixin on January 26, the State Council Information Office held a press conference today regarding the business work and operational situation for 2025. It was revealed at the meeting that the Ministry of Commerce will deeply promote a special action to boost consumption in 2026, planning to work from three dimensions: policy support, event organization, and scene optimization.
First, in terms of policy supply, the aim is to increase benefits for the public. The focus will be on optimizing the implementation plan for the exchange of old consumer goods for new ones, thereby effectively promoting the consumption growth of major durable goods such as home appliances, automobiles, digital and smart products. At the same time, a pilot reform of automobile circulation consumption will be launched, aimed at further exploring and unleashing the consumption potential of the automobile market. The pilot work on prize invoices is also progressing in an orderly manner, with the list of related pilot cities having entered the public announcement stage last weekend. In addition, a series of targeted and effective policy measures will be promoted to facilitate the development of the first economic launch.
Secondly, enriching the activities and fully creating a good consumption atmosphere. This year will closely focus on the three core themes of commodity consumption, service consumption, and consumption scenes, organizing more than 20 special activities under the theme 'Shopping in China.' At the same time, 15 international consumption environment pilot cities will hold city-specific activities, and actively support regions in organizing local station activities with local characteristics. By constructing a themed and distinctive activity matrix, a strong consumption boom will be fully highlighted.
Finally, optimizing consumption scenes aims to improve the consumption environment. On one hand, it accelerates the cultivation and construction of international consumer center cities, and on the other hand, steadily advances the pilot construction of international consumption environments, covering new consumption formats, new models, and new scenes. The goal is to create a batch of new consumption landmarks with broad driving effects and high recognition, allowing consumers from both domestic and international markets to experience a good quality of life.
According to a report by CaiLianShe on January 26, TrendForce released the latest research results on the notebook computer industry. The data shows that global notebook computer brands are continuing to face the challenge of rising costs. Specifically, starting from the second half of 2025, memory prices have already begun to rise significantly; by early 2026, CPU supply shortages and price increases are also expected. At the same time, the costs of components such as PCBs, batteries, and power management ICs are also rising. Due to the combined effects of these multiple factors, the institution predicts that global notebook computer shipments in the first quarter of 2026 will decrease by 14.8% quarter-on-quarter, a figure that is likely to be difficult to meet the earlier expectations of various brand manufacturers.
According to a report from the Financial Associated Press on January 26, citing Xinhua News Agency, the local security environment in Japan has recently shown signs of instability, with frequent incidents of illegal activities involving Chinese citizens. At the same time, some regions of the country have been hit by consecutive earthquakes, resulting in injuries. The Japanese government has also issued related warnings regarding potential future earthquakes. Currently, Chinese citizens in the area are facing significant security risks.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan solemnly call on Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan if possible. For compatriots already in Japan, please pay close attention to local security dynamics, closely monitor earthquake and related secondary disaster warning information, and effectively enhance safety awareness while ensuring self-protection. In case of an emergency, please report to the police immediately and contact the embassy or consulate in Japan for assistance.
Let's discuss how domestically produced innovative drugs achieve profitability. According to news released by the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily on the 26th, 3SBio has delivered a quite impressive performance report. Thanks to the upfront payment made by Pfizer for Project 707, the company confirmed approximately 2.89 billion yuan in revenue. This income directly propelled the performance surge, resulting in the company's Q4 net profit expected to record a 1097% quarter-on-quarter growth.
According to a report from the Financial Association on January 26, the European Council officially passed a resolution banning Russian natural gas on local time January 26. According to the plan, the EU will implement the blockade in phases: starting from January 1, 2027, all imports of Russian liquefied natural gas will be completely stopped; immediately thereafter, on September 30, 2027, all imports of Russian pipeline gas will be completely banned. EU officials stated that existing contracts will benefit from a transitional buffer period, but each member state must strictly verify the country of origin before authorizing natural gas entry. In addition, EU countries must develop practical plans by March 1, 2026, to diversify gas supply and secure alternative suppliers to Russian natural gas. Penalties for violations are also quite severe; those who do not comply with the new regulations may face a maximum fine of at least 2,500,000 euros for individuals, while the maximum fine for enterprises could reach 40,000,000 euros.
In order to guide the market towards rational trading and to cool down the market, relevant exchanges have issued multiple new regulations. The Shanghai Futures Exchange has decided to implement new trading limits on silver and tin futures contracts, while simultaneously adjusting the price fluctuation limits and trading margin ratios for copper and aluminum futures contracts. At the same time, the Shanghai International Energy Trading Center has also made corresponding adjustments to the price fluctuation limits and trading margin ratios for international copper futures contracts.