B[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: Implement the Big Agriculture and Big Food Concepts and accelerate the construction of a diversified food supply system] On September 29, the State Council Information Office held a series of press conferences with the theme of "Starting the 15th Five-Year Plan". At the press conference, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs introduced that both output and quality should be emphasized to enhance the comprehensive agricultural production capacity and quality benefits. In order to adapt to changes in the consumption demands of urban and rural residents and stabilize the jobs of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, we must not only ensure stable supply, but also optimize the structure and improve quality. We will not relax our focus on grain production, work hard to stabilize area and increase yields, continuously improve comprehensive agricultural production capabilities, and make every effort to ensure a stable and safe supply of grain and other important agricultural products. On this basis, we should implement the big agricultural concept and the big food concept, accelerate the construction of a diversified food supply system, optimize the variety structure, improve quality and quality, promote the transformation of agricultural development from output-oriented to equal emphasis on output and quality, and improve the adaptability of production and demand. B[China Iron and Steel Association: In mid-September, the steel inventory of key steel companies increased by 560,000 tons from the previous month] September 24th, according to the China Iron and Steel Industry Association, in mid-September 2026, the steel inventory of key steel companies increased by 560,000 tons from the previous month. 60,000 tons, an increase of 3.4%; an increase of 2.94 million tons, an increase of 20.8% over the beginning of the year; a decrease of 1.25 million tons, a decrease of 6.8%, compared with the same period last month; an increase of 1.79 million tons, an increase of 11.7%, compared with the same period last year, and an increase of 1.43 million tons, an increase of 9.1% over the same period last year. B[Lithium Industry Branch: National lithium carbonate production fell by 2.5% month-on-month in August] September 21, according to statistics from the Lithium Industry Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, in August, the national lithium carbonate production was approximately 96,000 tons, a month-on-month decrease of 2.5%; the national lithium hydroxide production was approximately 33,000 tons, a month-on-month increase of 2.5%. National lithium salt production equivalent to lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) was approximately 125,000 tons, a month-on-month decrease of 1.4%. The decline in output is mainly due to the fact that the arrival of Zimbabwe's lithium mines at the port is less than expected, and some of the company's production lines have been suspended for maintenance. B[Hedge funds are doing long oil and fuels, with the most bullish sentiment on gasoline] September 9th, JKempEnergy Research Company pointed out that according to the latest position data released by regulators and exchanges, due to low inventories and limited refining options, the refined oil market, especially gasoline, has become the primary target of hedge funds and other money managers. As of September 1, hedge fund managers had accumulated a net long position equivalent to 177 million barrels in futures and options contracts on the three major gasoline and middle distillate varieties. Compared with crude oil, funds are more optimistic about the fuel market. They have a neutral or even slightly bearish attitude towards crude oil, holding 380 million barrels. In the fuel sector, investor sentiment is most bullish on gasoline, with net long positions reaching 89 million barrels, which is about 90% higher than the weekly record level since 2011 and one of the highest levels since the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2020. B[Dye prices are rising rapidly. Reactive brilliant blue has been raised by another 50,000 yuan/ton, and dispersed black prices have been raised by 10% at the beginning of the month.] On September 9, reporters interviewed relevant listed companies and learned that the prices of major dye products continued to rise in September. Among them, the quotation of the mainstream variety of reactive brilliant blue increased from 250,000 yuan/ton to 300,000 yuan/ton, and the quotation in July was about 200,000 yuan/ton; the quotation of dispersed black increased from 30,000 yuan/ton to 33,000 yuan/ton in early September. "The new quotation system for reactive brilliant blue will be implemented tomorrow, and the actual transaction price will not rise so fast." A relevant person in charge of a dye company said that currently, the price of disperse dyes is at a moderately high level in history, and the price of reactive dyes is at a historical high. (Reporter Xiao Lianghua) B[Insufficient European natural gas inventories, global supply competition may push up prices] September 3rd, as the summer is coming to an end, but the European natural gas inventory buffer is still low, the global natural gas supply competition may further intensify. At current prices, Europe still needs to replenish natural gas worth more than 7 billion euros (about 8.1 billion U.S. dollars) and more than 100 terawatt hours (TWh) to reach the minimum 75% gas storage target. To achieve this, Europe will need to restock stocks so close to the end of the quarter at a pace not seen since the 2022 energy crisis. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Rystad Energy and Morningstar all warned that this could push up natural gas prices in the winter. "The possibility of a global scramble for fuel does exist, especially with low winter temperatures," said Go Katayama, chief insights analyst at energy intelligence firm Kpler Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). If supply disruptions continue into the winter, Europe may have to pay higher prices to ensure scarce LNG cargoes reach the continent. A[Semi-annual report submission of Shanghai Stock Exchange companies: Net profit growth after non-deduction reaches a new high since 2022] On August 30, the Shanghai Stock Exchange announced that as of now, Shanghai Stock Exchange listed companies have completed the disclosure of their 2026 semi-annual reports. Data show that in the first half of 2026, 2,318 Shanghai-listed companies achieved a total operating income of 26.22 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.3%, a net profit of 2.82 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.6%, and a net profit after non-exclusion of 2.69 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.2%. The growth rate hit a new high since 2022. Data also shows that in the first half of this year, nearly 80% of Shanghai-listed companies achieved profitability. Among them, 924 companies' net profits increased year-on-year, 339 companies' net profits increased by more than 50%, and 142 companies turned losses into profits. Blue-chip companies continue to play the role of "ballast". In the first half of this year, SSE 180 companies achieved operating income of 17.87 trillion yuan and net profit of 2.36 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.9% and 14.8% respectively.
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