GMT EIGHT - OPPORTUNITIES IN CHINA

The Market Supervision Administration thoroughly investigates the relevant illegal activities exposed in the "3.15" evening party to fully protect consumer rights and interests.

Regarding the illegal activities in the field of market regulation exposed during the CCTV "3.15" evening gala, such as "bleached chicken feet" and "height-increasing marketing tricks", the State Administration for Market Regulation promptly initiated emergency response mechanisms, deployed enforcement actions, and will timely disclose the investigation results to the public.

The General Administration of Market Supervision has deployed strict governance of prominent issues with alcoholic products across the country.

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation has deployed local market supervision departments to carry out comprehensive governance of prominent issues in the alcohol industry, cracking down on illegal and irregular behaviors in order to effectively protect the food safety and consumer rights of the people. This comprehensive governance will focus on five key areas of concern. Local market supervision departments will comprehensively strengthen supervision and law enforcement in all aspects of the production and processing, food sales, catering services, and promotional marketing of alcohol products. They will comprehensively use administrative licensing, supervision inspections, random monitoring, and law enforcement inspections to strictly handle a number of key cases, clean up illegal black dens and workshops, punish criminals, and expose typical cases. At the same time, they will strengthen standard guidance and technical support, guide enterprises to improve product quality, and promote the high-quality development of the alcohol industry.

The 315 Gala exposes a stock recommendation scam, with 12.08% of financial consumer-related companies having been involved in legal disputes.

The 315 evening party exposed the stock recommendation scam, where many institutions use the lure of a "50-50 profit sharing" scheme, but in reality it is fraudulent. Reporters found that following the recommendations of Tian Shun Investment's customer service to buy stocks led to losses, and discovered that behind it, Xinxin Ke has no financial qualifications. The company relies on the boss's arbitrary stock recommendations to entice customers to trade, with profit sharing and losses disappearing, in order to make a stable profit without loss. Data from the professional version of Tian Eye Check shows that up to now, China has over 410,000 financial consumer-related enterprises. In terms of regional distribution, Guangdong, Shandong, and Zhejiang are the top three in the number of financial consumer-related enterprises, with over 58,000, over 51,000, and over 37,000 respectively. Tian Eye Check's risk eye displays that among enterprises engaged in financial consumer-related businesses, 12.08% have had legal disputes, 4.75% have had operating abnormalities, and 1.58% have been subject to administrative penalties. According to Tian Eye Check's deep risk data, financial consumer-related enterprises have generated over 2,000 pieces of information on individuals who have been executed. According to Tian Eye Check's judicial case data, cases involving disputes over financial loan contracts account for 45.46%, cases related to loan contract disputes account for 21.26%, and cases related to credit card disputes account for 8.7%.

Hello electric vehicle rental company multiple branches have been deregistered

CCTV's 315 Evening Gala exposed the rampant renting of electric bicycles, with Shanghai Jun Ha Network Technology Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Jun Feng Network Technology Co., Ltd. being named. According to the TianyanCha App, the affiliated company "Hello Electric Bike Rental" Shanghai Jun Ha Network Technology Co., Ltd. was established in August 2018, with Che Xingde as the legal representative and a registered capital of 2.05 billion RMB. Its business scope includes the rental of machinery, bicycles, electric bicycles, cars, and electric motorcycles, and it is fully owned by the affiliated company Shanghai Jun Feng Network Technology Co., Ltd. Branch office information shows that the company currently has 8 branch offices, with 5 already being cancelled. Administrative penalty information indicates that the company has multiple records of administrative penalties, with reasons for penalty including using unqualified products as qualified products, and the penalty units include the Market Supervision Administration of Minhang District, Shanghai and the People's Government of Sanlin Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai.

315 Evening Gala exposes increasing scams, with nearly 2% of health-related enterprises having experienced abnormal operations.

The evening party exposed multiple cases of consumers complaining about height increase scams. The investigation by reporters found that many institutions such as "Anli Shen Teenage Physical Growth" attract parents with contracts and guarantees of refunds if the treatment is ineffective, but actually deceive consumers by exploiting children's natural growth patterns. Derui not only deceives teenagers, but also claims to be able to increase the height of adults by closing the epiphyseal lines. The owner of Yingrui claims to be able to "increase height by closing" and includes metaphysical elements in the plan, but there is no scientific basis or medical support. Currently, this type of height increase store continues to join and open branches, relying on false rhetoric to deceive consumers and make huge profits. Tianyancha's risk assessment shows that among companies engaged in the health industry, 0.84% have been involved in legal disputes, nearly 2% have had abnormal operations, and 0.58% have been subject to administrative penalties.

The local market supervision bureau has responded to the illegal bleaching of chicken feet by companies: an investigation has been conducted and evidence has been collected, and the handling of the situation will be disclosed publicly.

On March 15th, the CCTV "3.15" Evening Gala exposed bleached chicken feet. That evening, the Market Supervision Bureau of Hechuan District in Chongqing announced that they are aware of and highly value the issues exposed by the CCTV "3.15" Evening Gala regarding Chongqing Zengqiao Food Co., Ltd. They have organized enforcement personnel to rush to the scene, conduct inspections and investigations in accordance with the law, and gather evidence. The results of the subsequent investigation and handling will be promptly disclosed to the public.

New stock announcement | Hope Sea submits listing application to Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the second time

According to the disclosure by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on March 15th, Hope Sea Inc. has once again submitted its application for listing on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with ICBC International as the exclusive sponsor.

CITIC SEC: Global petrochemical supply chain disruption prompts revaluation of pricing power for China's dominant manufacturing industry.

The disruptive innovation acceleration of AI and the disruption of the global energy supply chain are both strengthening the rise of China's pricing power in the manufacturing sector. In terms of allocation, we will firmly focus on the revaluation layout around China's advantageous manufacturing pricing power (chemical industry, non-ferrous metals, power equipment, new energy), while increasing exposure to undervalued factors (insurance, securities, power).

SINOPEC SEG (02386) released its annual performance, with a net profit attributable to shareholders of 1.798 billion yuan, a decrease of 27.1% year-on-year.

Sinopec Engineering (02386) released its annual performance for the year ending December 31, 2025. The group achieved a revenue of 70.074 billion yuan, an increase of 9.2% year-on-year. The profit attributable to equity holders of the company was 1.798 billion yuan, a decrease of 27.1% year-on-year. Basic earnings per share were 0.41 yuan; proposed final dividend of 0.104 yuan per share.

Oil prices surge, many countries implement countermeasures. Middle Eastern countries open new trade routes as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

The US-Iran military conflict has now lasted for more than two weeks, and its impact has spread to the daily lives of people in European and American countries. European Commission President von der Leyen recently stated that in the first 10 days of the conflict, European taxpayers have spent an additional 3 billion euros on importing energy. Faced with skyrocketing oil prices, several European and American countries have initiated various measures. Member countries of the International Energy Agency such as the UK, Germany, and Austria have stated that they will cooperate with the IEA to release 400 million barrels of strategic petroleum reserves. On the 12th, the US Treasury announced a temporary relaxation of some sanctions on Russian oil, allowing for the sale, delivery, and unloading of 124 million barrels of Russian crude oil or petroleum products that have already been loaded onto ships. Meanwhile, several oil-producing countries in the Middle East have taken actions to replace the closed Hormuz shipping route. Saudi Arabia announced the launch of the "Integrated Logistics Corridor" plan this week, while the UAE is diverting goods to the ports of Fujairah and Jebel Ali along the Arabian Sea coast, and the Dubai Ports World Group allows for final customs clearance at the Jebel Ali port through the bonded highway. However, the capacity corresponding to the emergency measures still falls far short of compensating for the immense losses caused by the closure of the Hormuz Strait.

Trump threatens to bomb Iran's Halhk Island again.

President Trump said on the 14th that the US strike on Iran's Kharg Island "completely destroyed" most of the island, but "we may bomb it a few more times, just for fun". Trump confirmed in a phone interview with NBC that the US military had launched an attack on Kharg Island. "We have completely destroyed it. But, as you know, I didn't touch anything related to the energy pipelines because rebuilding them would take years." Kharg Island is a strategic island off the coast of Iran, with a port responsible for a large portion of Iran's oil exports. Regarding military actions against Iran, Trump also said, "We have destroyed most of their missiles. Destroyed most of their drones. Essentially destroyed their missile and drone manufacturing capabilities. Within two days, we will completely destroy them."

The annual "3.15" gala will be broadcast tonight, continuing to focus on four areas including food safety.

The 2026 "3.15" evening gala of China Central Television will be broadcast live on the CCTV Finance Channel at 20:00 today. Currently, the evening gala is ready. This year's "3.15" evening gala focuses on the theme of "reassuring consumption, quality life", and will address illegal activities that infringe on consumer rights in areas such as food safety, public safety, financial security, and the advertising market. Zhang Qiang, the chief director of the 36th "3.15" evening gala of China Central Television, introduced that this year's evening gala will continue to focus on the topic of food safety, exposing individual unscrupulous businesses that evade supervision and harm consumer rights; closely monitoring new digital consumption scenarios, and timely warning of potential consumer traps; revealing illegal activities that endanger public safety; and showcasing scams that violate the financial investment security of the people. The "3.15" evening gala will continue to expose consumer traps and illegal infringement behaviors in related industries, strengthen consumer rights protection, vigorously promote consumption, drive quality improvement, and protect consumer rights.

China Securities Co., Ltd.: Review of the five bull markets in A-shares and Hong Kong stocks.

Although the sustainability, resilience, and industry styles of each bull market are different, there are some similarities that exist in all bull markets.

"Reenactment of Liberation Day turmoil? Global markets hit by triple onslaught, cross-market volatility soaring"

Due to the Iran war, market pressures are accumulating at the fastest pace since last year's tariff shocks, pushing up oil prices and borrowing costs.

Stock market high volatility strangulation far from over? Middle East ceasefire bets on a major cool down in preparation for "chain reaction of sharp rises and falls".

The market is not currently in a stage of "waiting for repair after panic bottoming out", but in a pressure zone characterized by prolonged geopolitical conflicts, oil prices re-surpassing $100, and continuous erosion of asset pricing.

US January core PCE price index annual rate 3.1%, expected 3.1%, previous value 3.00%. US January core PCE price index monthly rate 0.4%, expected 0.40%, previous value 0.40%. US January PCE price index annual rate 2.8%, expected 2.9%, previous value 2.90%. US January PCE price index monthly rate 0.3%, expected 0.30%, previous value 0.40%.

Brent crude oil fell below $99 per barrel, dropping 1.52% intraday.

SUNSHINE PHARMA (06887) announces a profitable result, with an expected net profit attributable to shareholders of approximately 270 million yuan for the year 2025, turning from a loss to a profit year-on-year.

Dongyang Pharmaceutical (06887) announced that for the year ending December 31, 2025, the Group is expected to achieve a net profit attributable to owners of approximately RMB 270 million, compared to a net loss attributable to owners of approximately RMB 210 million in the same period last year, an increase of approximately 228.57%.

The central bank: Broad money (M2) balance reached 34.922 trillion yuan at the end of February, a year-on-year increase of 9%.

At the end of February, the broad money supply (M2) balance was 349.22 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9%. The narrow money supply (M1) balance was 115.93 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.9%.

Skyrocketing oil prices welcomed supply easing! Under the "Hormuz blockade", Russian oil comes to the rescue.

The United States has granted Russia temporary waivers on energy, allowing the purchase of goods that are already at sea, meaning that Russian crude oil and fuel from around 30 oil tankers in Asian waters are available for global buyers. These ships are carrying at least 19 million barrels of Russian crude oil and 310,000 tons of refined oil.

TD Cowen covers the networking and communication sector for the first time: Arista (ANET.US) and two others receive a "buy" rating. Lumentum (LITE.US) receives a "hold" rating.

T.D. Cowen recently initiated coverage of several stocks in the network communications sector, giving "Buy" ratings to Arista Networks, Coherent, and Ciena, and a "Hold" rating to Lumentum Holdings.

The Spring Festival travel season of 2026 ended with a record high number of travelers.

The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush of 2026 will officially end today, with the travel scale during this period reaching a historic high. Statistics show that on the sixth day of the first month of the Horse year, the total number of cross-regional travelers and the traffic volume on highways reached 380 million and 71.43 million respectively, setting new historical records for daily peaks. In the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, the passenger volume of railways, highways, waterways, and civil aviation also exceeded the historical levels of the same period.

Ministry of Commerce spokesperson answers questions from reporters on Sino-US economic and trade negotiations.

A reporter asked: We have noticed that the Chinese side previously stated that China and the US will hold the 6th round of China-US economic and trade consultations in the near future. Does the Ministry of Commerce have any latest news? As agreed by both China and the US, Vice Premier of the State Council and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, He Lifeng, will lead a delegation to France to hold economic and trade consultations with the US from March 14 to 17. The two sides will take the important consensus reached at the Busan meeting between the two heads of state and previous phone calls as guidance, and conduct consultations on economic and trade issues of mutual concern.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has issued a consultation on the review of listing competitiveness.

According to reports, artificial intelligence pharmaceutical research and development company EARENDIL is considering going public in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong stock Bright Smart Securities and Finance Ltd continues to rise with an increase of 30%, reaching 9.01 Hong Kong dollars.

The report states that Samsung has secured a panel order for Apple's first foldable smartphone, iPhone Fold, for up to 20 million units, with production expected to begin in May 2026.

The Nikkei 225 index opened at 53,587.30 points in the morning, down 1.59%.

Performance exceeding expectations fails to hide AI anxiety: Adobe CEO resigns after 18 years at the helm, stock price drops over 7% in after-hours trading.

Facing deep concerns from the market about its ability to remain a leader in the era of artificial intelligence, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen will step down from his helm at this creative software giant.

MacBook Neo can have the keyboard replaced individually.

Technology media MacRumors released a blog post, reporting that based on the repair manual displayed on Apple's official website, the MacBook Neo confirms support for separately replacing the keyboard component. This design breaks the long-standing hardware bundling repair practice of Apple, greatly increasing the repairability of the device. In the past years, if users needed to replace the MacBook keyboard, Apple required them to replace the entire aluminum top case together.

Hong Kong stock concept tracking | Soaring oil prices highlight the energy substitution effect, the timing of layout in the coal sector has arrived (with concept stocks)

Goldman Sachs warned that the potential scale of the supply shock this time could be 17 times that of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict period. If the bottleneck continues, oil prices may challenge the historical high of $150 per barrel by the end of the month.

Nations Technologies Inc. (02701) launched its IPO from March 13 to March 18, introducing cornerstone investors such as Guohua Life Insurance.

Guomin Technology (02701) will launch its IPO from March 13 to March 18, 2026, aiming to globally sell 95 million H shares, with 10% of the shares being offered in Hong Kong and 90% internationally. The offer price will not exceed HK$10.80 per share. Trading of H shares is expected to begin on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at 9:00 am on March 23, 2026 (Monday).

Supply chain begins to fluctuate, South Korea's chip giant urgently checks helium inventory.

The Korea Times reported on the 11th that with the increasing risks in shipping through the Hormuz Strait, the supply chain of key raw materials such as helium is beginning to fluctuate. As a core industrial gas needed for semiconductor manufacturing, helium is mainly extracted from liquefied natural gas. In order to prevent risks from spreading, major chip companies in South Korea such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have conducted a comprehensive inspection of their helium inventory. Industry insiders in South Korea pointed out that finding alternative sources of helium in the short term is not easy, and expensive American natural gas may become a backup option.

Feisu Innovation (03355) started its IPO from March 13 to March 18, planning to globally issue 40 million H shares.

Speedy Innovation Limited (03355) will be listed on March 13-18, 2026, with a plan to globally issue 40 million H shares, of which 10% will be offered for public sale in Hong Kong and 90% will be offered for international sale. The offering price per share is between 35.2 and 41.6 Hong Kong dollars. Each board lot consists of 100 shares, and the H shares will start trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at 9am on March 23, 2026.

"Shrimp Fever" Drives up Demand for Mac Mini: Difficult to Find in Huaqiangbei, Prices Increase by Several Hundred Yuan Generally

The "craze for raising shrimp" has ignited the sales market for Apple's hardware Mac mini. Due to security considerations, many people have chosen not to deploy "small lobsters" OpenClaw on personal or office computers, but have instead chosen a Mac mini that is better suited for OpenClaw and comes with macOS system installed. This has led to a shortage of Mac minis in many online and offline stores. Recently, reporters visited the largest electronic market in Shenzhen, Huaqiangbei, and found that several sales stalls had run out of stock, while some stalls were still selling but had no inventory. At the same time, the phenomenon of price gouging was significant, with some stalls even increasing prices by hundreds of yuan per day.

Oil prices breaking through $100, the market expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates only once this year.

With the rise in energy prices and escalating inflation concerns, market expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates are clearly cooling off.

A staff member of Guotai Junan, a subsidiary of Guotai Haitong (02611), was taken away by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for investigation. The company's operations are normal.

Hong Kong Airlines (02611) issues a notice that, recently, the company has noticed reports in some media regarding its subsidiary, Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (Guotai Junan International) (listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, 01788), being investigated by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC) and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). According to the company's knowledge, on March 10, 2026, the SFC and ICAC visited Guotai Junan International's business premises with a search warrant, taking away some documents, and one employee of Guotai Junan International was taken away by ICAC for investigation. The company attaches great importance to this matter and will continue to closely monitor the progress of the investigation.

US Stock Market Move | Oil stocks rise. Battalion Oil (BATL.US) soars over 20%.

On Thursday, oil stocks rose.

The three major US stock indexes all fell more than 1%.

The Dow fell 1.28% to 46811.871 points; the Nasdaq fell 1.12% to 22461.087 points; the S&P 500 index fell 1.04% to 6705.370 points.

Saudi shipping giant spares no expense to grab ships! Paying astronomical freight rates, opening a new route in the Red Sea to transport crude oil.

Saudi Arabia's largest oil transporter, Bahri Company, has been booking oil tankers at high prices to load crude oil from the Red Sea as an alternative measure to the stalled shipping through the Hormuz Strait.

FIT HON TENG (06088) announces annual performance, with a profit attributable to shareholders of 156 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 1.51%.

FIT HON TENG (06088) announced its full-year performance for the year ending on December 31, 2025. The company achieved a revenue of 5.03 billion US dollars, an increase of 12.39% compared to the previous year; the net profit attributable to owners of the company was 156 million US dollars, an increase of 1.51% year-on-year; earnings per share were 2.20 cents.

High volatility sweeps global stock markets! Rapid rises and falls are playing out in succession, kicking off the hardest-to-bear roller coaster drama on Wall Street.

Options market traders are beginning to bet that the stock market's intense volatility will continue for another week or even around a month. After the official meeting of the leaders of the world's two largest economies, the market will then return to relatively calm and normalized trading patterns.

A Hong Kong subsidiary of CITIC SEC(06030) is being investigated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and the Independent Commission Against Corruption. All business operations of the company are continuing as normal.

CITIC Securities (06030) announced that the Board of Directors has noticed reports from some media in the past two days regarding investigations by the Securities and Futures Commission and the Independent Commission Against Corruption of a Hong Kong subsidiary of the company, as well as fluctuations in the trading price and volume of the company's H shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on March 12, 2026. The Board of Directors hereby clarifies as follows: The company has learned that on March 10, 2026, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Independent Commission Against Corruption visited the business premises of the subsidiary company with search warrants and took away some documents. An employee of the subsidiary company was interviewed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The company takes this matter very seriously and will continue to closely monitor the progress of this matter.

The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims in the United States for the week ending March 7th was revised from 215,750 to 216,000.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange adjusts the daily price limits and trading margins for gold and other related futures contracts.

Shanghai Futures Exchange announced that the daily price limit for the gold AU2704 contract is 17%, with a margin ratio of 18% for hedged positions and 19% for general positions; the daily price limit for the silver AG2703 contract is 20%, with a margin ratio of 21% for hedged positions and 22% for general positions; the daily limit for the nickel NI2703 and tin SN2703 contracts is 12%, with a margin ratio of 13% for hedged positions and 14% for general positions; the daily limit for the natural rubber RU2703 contract is 9%, with a margin ratio of 10% for hedged positions and 11% for general positions; the daily limit for the pulp SP2703 and offset paper OP2703 contracts is 7%, with a margin ratio of 8% for hedged positions and 9% for general positions.

National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center: Release Risk Warning Bulletin for Industrial Sector OpenClaw Applications

The National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center has issued a "Risk Warning Notice on the Application of OpenClaw in the Industrial Field": OpenClaw is currently accelerating its deployment in various stages such as research and design, production and manufacturing, and operations management in the industrial field. However, due to the characteristics of OpenClaw such as fuzzy trust boundaries, unified access through multiple channels, flexible invocation of large models, and dual-model persistent memory, once effective permission control strategies or security audit mechanisms are lacking, it may be maliciously taken over due to instruction induction, supply chain poisoning, etc., leading to a series of security risks such as loss of control of industrial control systems and leakage of sensitive information. Specific risks include unauthorized access to industrial hosts and loss of production control risks, risks of leakage of industrial sensitive information, and risks of expanding the attack surface and amplifying attack effects for industrial enterprises. Therefore, it is recommended that industrial enterprises refer to the "Industrial Control System Network Security Protection Guidelines" and the "Industrial Internet Security Classification and Grading Management Measures" and other relevant requirements, refer to the "Six Do's and Don'ts" suggestions already published on the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's Network Security Threat and Vulnerability Information Sharing Platform, strengthen security protection measures when deploying and using OpenClaw, including strengthening control permission management, strengthening network boundary isolation, and carrying out vulnerability patch fixes.

MIIT launches the "millisecond computing" special action for urban areas in 2026

The General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a notice on organizing the special action of "millisecond computing" in urban areas in 2026. The special action of "millisecond computing" will be carried out in 50 regions in 2026 to enhance the efficient carrying capacity of computing power and promote the integrated development of computing networks.

IEA monthly report: reduces forecast for global oil demand growth in 2026 from 850,000 barrels per day to 640,000 barrels per day.

LI AUTO (02015) net profit for 2025 was 1.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 85.8%

Ideal Car-W (02015) announced that in the fourth quarter of 2025, the vehicle sales revenue was 27.3 billion yuan, a decrease of 36.1% from 42.6 billion yuan in the fourth quarter of 2024, and an increase of 5.4% from 25.9 billion yuan in the third quarter of 2025. The total revenue was 28.8 billion yuan, a decrease of 35.0% from 44.3 billion yuan in the fourth quarter of 2024, and an increase of 5.2% from 27.4 billion yuan in the third quarter of 2025. Net profit was 202 million yuan, compared to a net profit of 3.5 billion yuan in the fourth quarter of 2024, and a net loss of 624.4 million yuan in the third quarter of 2025.

MTR Corporation (00066) announces annual performance, with a net profit attributable to shareholders of HK$14.677 billion, a decrease of 6.9% year-on-year, with a final dividend of HK$0.89 per share.

MTR Corporation (00066) released its audited annual performance ending on December 31, 2025. The group generated total revenue of HK$55.465 billion, a decrease of 7.6% year-on-year; the net profit attributable to shareholders was HK$14.677 billion, a decrease of 6.9% year-on-year; earnings per share were HK$2.36, with a proposed final dividend of HK$0.89 per share.

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The Reserve Bank of Australia will hold its second interest rate meeting of the year this week. The existing inflation problem in the country has been exacerbated by the soaring energy prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. Economists expect the bank to raise interest rates on Tuesday to combat the expected rise in prices caused by the increase in oil prices, raising the cash rate to 4.1%. The money market believes there is a 75% chance of a rate hike in March and anticipates further tightening in the future. Nick Stanway, an economist at Bank of America, said, "The conflict in Iran poses a significant risk of inflation rising, and we expect the overall inflation rate to approach 5%." Australia's inflation target is 2-3%. Stanway pointed out that considering the current price pressures and tight labor market, the central bank has "almost no room for maneuver." If there is no rate hike in March, it "could lead to more severe tightening in the future because high inflation will persist longer and affect public expectations."

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