This article is from Nandu · Bay Finance Society.Editor | Chai HuaDesign | Zhang Bo
Weekly Financial Highlights (April 14-20, 2025)
Headline
Robot Half Marathon Concludes! Shenzhen’s “Tiangong” Wins, Yushu Technology Responds to Falling Controversy
On April 19, a unique event took place in Beijing’s Yizhuang—the world’s first humanoid robot half marathon kicked off. Twenty robot “contestants” raced alongside human competitors over a 21-kilometer course. Ultimately, the “Tiangong Ultra,” developed jointly by Shenzhen’s UBTECH Robotics and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, won with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds, sparking a wave of online and offline attention.
Among them, a humanoid robot that fell on the track, resembling the G1 robot from Hangzhou Yushu Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yushu Technology”), raised questions from many netizens regarding its stability. In response, Yushu Technology clarified that they did not participate in the competition, stating, “We have been busy preparing for humanoid robot combat live broadcasts and did not participate in the race at all.”
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Attention
First Clarification: No Fires or Explosions Allowed! The “Strictest Power Battery Safety Order” is Here
According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Public Security on January 17, by the end of 2024, the number of new energy vehicles in the country reached 31.4 million, accounting for 8.9% of the total number of vehicles. The number of newly registered new energy vehicles this year was 11.25 million, accounting for 41.83% of new registrations. The new energy vehicle market is growing at an unprecedented rate.
However, as the power source of vehicles gradually shifts from traditional thermal energy to electric energy, the safety risks associated with batteries have also surfaced. Industry data indicated that in the first quarter of 2023, an average of eight new energy vehicles caught fire daily (including spontaneous combustion). The accident involving the Xiaomi SU7 in Anhui in April raised significant public concern regarding battery fire issues.
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5.4%! GDP Growth Exceeds Expectations in the First Quarter, What are the Highlights of the “Three Drivers”?
On April 16, the National Bureau of Statistics released the economic data for the first quarter, showing a GDP of 31.8758 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4% at constant prices. The market generally believes that GDP growth exceeded expectations.
The first quarter of the economy achieved a “good start.” What are the highlights of the “three drivers”? Analysts from various brokerage firms and experts believe that from the analysis of the “three drivers,” strong domestic consumption has stimulated economic vitality, stable export growth demonstrates economic resilience, and fixed asset investment has maintained stable growth, especially with significant growth in high-tech industry investment.
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The 137th Canton Fair Welcomes 148,500 Overseas Buyers
In front of the robot service area at the 137th Canton Fair, a Russian buyer named Rumil, who walks thousands of steps a day, rode an electric suitcase and quickly swiped on a translation device, saying, “I will definitely come here (Canton Fair) many more times!”
On April 19, the first phase of the 137th Canton Fair concluded, and reporters from Nandu · Bay Finance Society learned from the fair’s official sources that 148,585 overseas buyers from 216 countries and regions attended, a 20.2% increase compared to the same period of the 135th session.
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Investment
Gold Price Surpasses $3,300/Ounce, Gold ETF Daily Trading Volume Exceeds 6 Billion Yuan
On April 17, the London spot gold price reached a high of $3,357.66 per ounce, setting a new historical record. Although the global gold market was closed on April 18 due to Good Friday, the Shanghai Futures Exchange’s main gold contract (AU.SHF) still closed at 791.02 yuan per gram, up 0.29%. The domestic physical gold market also warmed up, with brands like Luk Fook and Chow Tai Fook quoting prices for 24K gold jewelry exceeding 1,028 yuan per gram, an increase of over 200 yuan compared to the beginning of the year.
Against this backdrop, the flexible and convenient gold ETF has also become increasingly popular. Wind data shows that on April 18, the total trading volume of 13 domestic gold ETFs reached 6.63 billion yuan. As of April 2025, the domestic gold ETF market has shown explosive growth.
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Real Estate
Latest Housing Prices in 70 Cities Released! National Bureau of Statistics: New Home Prices Increased in 24 Cities, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chengdu Lead the Way
The real estate market experienced a small spring in March as expected.
On April 16, the National Bureau of Statistics released the price changes of commercial residential properties in 70 large and medium-sized cities for March 2025. In March, the housing market’s transaction activity increased, with new commercial residential property prices rising month-on-month in 24 of the 70 cities, an increase of six compared to the previous month; the number of cities with month-on-month increases in second-hand housing prices reached 10, an increase of seven compared to the previous month.
First-tier cities saw a month-on-month increase in commercial residential property prices, while the overall decline in second and third-tier cities narrowed; the year-on-year decline in all cities continued to narrow.
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Securities
Changes in Rankings! Over a Dozen Securities Firms Release First Quarter Performance, Guotai Junan’s Net Profit Exceeds 10 Billion
Recently, several listed securities firms have released their first quarter performance reports for 2025. As of April 15, 11 firms that disclosed performance forecasts achieved considerable growth in net profit attributable to shareholders, with Guotai Junan and Dongwu Securities seeing net profit growth rates exceeding 100%.
From the performance forecasts disclosed by various securities firms, the increase in performance is mainly due to significant growth in multiple business segments, including wealth management and investment business compared to the same period last year.
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Special Topic
Tariff Storm Creates New Giants, China’s Cross-Border E-Commerce DHgate Sees “Massive Traffic”
The U.S. tariff stick continues to swing, and the China-U.S. game is still ongoing.
Amidst the foreign trade turmoil, China’s cross-border e-commerce platform DHgate has exploded in popularity in the U.S., with its Apple app ranking soaring to second place in the free iPhone app rankings, just behind ChatGPT. As of April 16, in the global free shopping app rankings, DHgate topped the list for new downloads, followed closely by several Chinese shopping apps. For instance, in the U.S. market, Taobao and SHEIN are also among the top contenders.
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Despite Tariff Storm, Customers Still “Push Orders”, Guangdong Export Enterprises Face Challenges and Changes
This is a week destined to be written into the history of world trade. Starting from April 8, U.S. government has continuously “increased” tariff measures against China.
As a major hub for manufacturing and exports in China, Guangdong has also become one of the regions that felt the storm the earliest and most deeply. Recently, reporters from Nandu Bay Finance Society visited several manufacturing and cross-border logistics companies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Their businesses span North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia; some faced delayed orders, while others had container backlogs, but they remained calm and did not stop their operations.
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How Do Cross-Border E-Commerce Companies Respond to High Tariffs? Anker and Other Listed Companies Offer Strategies to Break Through
Recently, the U.S. “reciprocal tariffs” have attracted market attention. The fluctuations in U.S. tariff policies have impacted the global trade environment. For many listed cross-border e-commerce companies, the North American market accounts for a significant portion of their revenue. The U.S. also plans to terminate the tax exemption for small packages imported from mainland China and Hong Kong. The cancellation of the tax exemption for small packages may increase costs for cross-border e-commerce sellers.
How to respond? Consumer electronics giant Anker Innovations (300866), leading home goods exporter Zhiou Technology (301376), “invisible champion” in the tool sector Juxing Technology (002444), and Daotong Technology (688208), which focuses on the automotive aftermarket, have all provided strategies for coping. In addition to raising prices or reducing promotional efforts, the core consensus has become the layout of production capacity to mitigate risks and the protection of brand value through technology.
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Domestic Smartphone Sales Heat Up! Significant Increase in the First Quarter, Export Strategies May Adjust Amid Tariff Storm
Under the national subsidy policy, the domestic smartphone market is accelerating its recovery. On April 18, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology disclosed the latest data, showing that in January-February 2025, the shipment of 5G smartphones in China reached 41.619 million units, a year-on-year increase of 7.6%. Among them, domestic brand smartphones accounted for a high proportion of 85%, becoming a significant force in boosting the overall market.
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