February 16 - February 22 Weekly Major Financial Events Overview, all times in Beijing:
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The core themes of this week are as follows:
First is the &#34;Spring Festival Offensive&#34; and Summit of the Global AI Industry. AI has become the absolute protagonist of the Spring Festival holiday, with the first India AI Summit gathering tech leaders such as Jensen Huang and the CEO of Google, and OpenAI's Sam Altman will also visit India; domestically, DeepSeek V4 is expected to debut during the Spring Festival, with giants like ByteDance and Alibaba gathering to release new models or applications during the &#34;Spring Festival period,&#34; and Google will also launch the Pixel 10a and Android 17 Beta.
Secondly, Key Macroeconomic Data and Policy Games. The Federal Reserve will release the December PCE inflation data, fourth-quarter GDP, and FOMC meeting minutes, with the market urgently needing to confirm the breadth of the &#34;pause in interest rate cuts&#34; consensus and the risk of inflation rebound; at the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court will make a ruling on the Trump tariff case, which could severely impact its trade policy; Japan will hold a prime ministerial nomination election, and attention should be paid to fluctuations in the yen exchange rate.
Finally, Long Holiday Market Closure and Geopolitics. The domestic market will welcome the longest Spring Festival holiday of 9 days, with the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges and Hong Kong Stock Exchange closed; geopolitically, the first-instance verdict on former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's case will be announced, and Ukraine plans to hold meetings in the U.S., with the volatility risk in global markets during the holiday period worth noting.
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<h2>Economic Indicators</h2>
<ul>
<li>The Federal Reserve's Favorite Inflation Indicator, Fourth Quarter GDP, and FOMC Meeting Minutes</li>
</ul>
On Friday, February 20, the &#34;Federal Reserve's favorite inflation indicator,&#34; the December PCE data, and the preliminary fourth-quarter GDP will be released. Bloomberg Economics expects the core PCE price index for December to rise by 0.3% month-on-month, pushing the year-on-year figure up to 2.9%, indicating a warming of inflation at the end of the year. Despite disruptions caused by the U.S. government shutdown, the fourth-quarter GDP growth rate is expected to reach 3.0%, higher than the market expectation of 2.8%.
In addition, the Federal Reserve's January FOMC meeting minutes will be released on February 18, and the minutes are expected to show that support among decision-makers for a prolonged pause in interest rate cuts is increasing, but Bloomberg Economics still believes that progress on inflation will leave room for a 100 basis point rate cut within the year
<h2>Financial Events</h2>
<ul>
<li>The &#34;AI Spring Festival&#34; reaches its peak, DeepSeek's next-generation flagship model V4 may be released</li>
</ul>
During the Spring Festival of 2026, China's AI industry is set to see a flurry of flagship model releases. According to a report by JP Morgan, ByteDance, Alibaba, Zhipu, and DeepSeek are all gathering for the &#34;Spring Festival&#34; release.
DeepSeek V4 is expected to debut in mid-February, focusing on improved programming capabilities. Preliminary internal tests indicate that V4 surpasses other top models currently on the market, such as Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's GPT series, in programming ability.
This Spring Festival battle is not only a competition of model performance but also a litmus test for consumer-grade AI &#34;blockbusters.&#34;
<ul>
<li>India's Artificial Intelligence Summit to be held from February 14 to 20, featuring tech leaders like Jensen Huang and Google's CEO</li>
</ul>
From February 15 to 20, the first India Artificial Intelligence Summit will take place in New Delhi, with global tech leaders including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirming their attendance.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to visit India during the same period. Although his participation has not been officially confirmed, OpenAI intends to hold several closed-door meetings and invite investors and industry executives to a special event on February 19.
<ul>
<li>The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on February 20 regarding the Trump tariff case</li>
</ul>
The U.S. Supreme Court has set February 20 as the next judgment announcement date, with justices expected to issue rulings on February 24 and 25. The world is holding its breath for a decision that could potentially overturn former President Donald Trump's signature tariff policy.
Federal government data shows that these controversial tariffs cost importers over $16 billion each month. If the court rules the tariffs unconstitutional, it would represent the biggest legal setback Trump has faced since returning to the White House. The case involves hefty tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico, and others.
<ul>
<li>Google releases the Pixel 10a smartphone</li>
</ul>
Google has released the Pixel 10a smartphone and has opened pre-orders on the same day. Reports indicate that Google Android 17 Beta 1 is expected to be released on February 18, coinciding with the launch of the Pixel 10a.
<ul>
<li>The &#34;longest&#34; Spring Festival holiday begins, with A-shares and several other markets closed</li>
</ul>
The Spring Festival ushers in the longest holiday in history, with a break from February 15 to 23, totaling 9 days.
Market closure arrangements are as follows:
<blockquote>
February 16, Monday: Mainland China, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam; Hong Kong and Singapore will close early
February 17, Tuesday: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam
February 18, Wednesday: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam
February 19, Thursday: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam
February 20, Friday: Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Seven films including &#34;Fast and Furious 3&#34; and &#34;Silent Awakening&#34; are scheduled for release on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and &#34;Avatar 3&#34; will extend its screening until February 18.</li>
</ul>
The Spring Festival holiday in 2026 will last for 9 days, marking the arrival of the &#34;longest Spring Festival period.&#34; As of February 4, the Lighthouse Professional Edition shows that seven films have been scheduled for release during the Spring Festival. Six of these will be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year, including &#34;Fast and Furious 3,&#34; &#34;Boonie Bears: Year of the Bear,&#34; &#34;The Courier: Wind Rises in the Desert,&#34; &#34;Silent Awakening,&#34; &#34;Dreaming of the Galaxy,&#34; and &#34;Panda Project: Tribal Adventure.&#34; Additionally, a documentary film &#34;Return to the Wolf Pack&#34; will be re-released on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
<ul>
<li>During the Spring Festival Gala, Doubao's second phase of red envelope activities will begin.</li>
</ul>
This year's Doubao Spring Festival activities are divided into two phases. The first phase will officially start at 8 PM on February 13, where users can enter the Doubao App's Spring Festival activity page to experience AI-generated New Year greetings and other AI-related activities.
On New Year's Eve, February 16, Doubao will launch the second phase of red envelope and technology gift lottery during the live broadcast of the Central Radio and Television Station's Spring Festival Gala.
<ul>
<li>Ukraine is preparing to hold a meeting in the United States on February 17 or 18.</li>
</ul>
Ukrainian President Zelensky: Ukraine is preparing to hold a meeting in the United States on February 17 or 18. The territorial issue will be the focus of the next round of negotiations with the United States. It is unclear whether Russia agrees to hold negotiations in the United States.
<ul>
<li>Japan will hold a prime ministerial nomination election on the 18th of this month, and the current cabinet will collectively resign, with a new prime minister to be elected by vote.</li>
</ul>
According to Xinhua News Agency on February 10, citing Japan's Jiji Press, the Japanese government has confirmed that a special national assembly will be convened on the 18th of this month to hold a prime ministerial nomination election. The Japanese constitution stipulates that a special national assembly must be convened within 30 days after the House of Representatives election to conduct the prime ministerial nomination election. Jiji Press reported that on the day of the special national assembly, the current cabinet will collectively resign, and the newly elected members of the House of Representatives will vote alongside the existing members of the House of Councillors to elect a new prime minister and form a new cabinet accordingly.
<ul>
<li>The U.S. Treasury will sell $16 billion in 20-year bonds and auction 30-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS).</li>
</ul>
Next week, the U.S. Treasury will sell $16 billion in 20-year bonds. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury will sell $9 billion in 30-year TIPS.
<ul>
<li>Atlanta Fed President Bostic, Fed Governor Bowman, and others will give speeches.</li>
</ul>
Next week, 2027 FOMC voting member and Atlanta Fed President Bostic will speak on the economic outlook. Fed Governor Bowman will also give a speech. 2026 FOMC voting member and Dallas Fed President Logan will speak. 2027 FOMC voting member and San Francisco Fed President Daly will address issues related to artificial intelligence and the economy. Fed Governor Barr will speak on artificial intelligence and the job market
<ul>
<li>USDA's 102nd Agricultural Outlook Forum and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) Meeting</li>
</ul>
Next week, the USDA's 102nd Agricultural Outlook Forum will be held, featuring a speech by USDA Chief Economist Justin Benavidez.
Additionally, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) will hold a meeting in Brussels to discuss supplementary pension plans and the EU's annual budget guidelines.
<ul>
<li>Eurogroup Meeting to Discuss Issuance of Euro-denominated Stablecoins</li>
</ul>
According to Reuters, documents show that Eurozone finance ministers will discuss the issuance of euro-denominated stablecoins and the increase of EU joint bonds on February 16, aiming to enhance the euro's status as an international currency.
<ul>
<li>Federal Reserve Extends Deadline for Comments on Stress Testing Proposal</li>
</ul>
The Federal Reserve has extended the deadline for comments on the stress testing proposal to February 21, 2026.
<ul>
<li>China's Eight Departments Release &#34;Administrative Measures for Special Preventive Measures Against Money Laundering,&#34; Effective February 16</li>
</ul>
The &#34;Administrative Measures for Special Preventive Measures Against Money Laundering&#34; were approved at the 15th executive meeting of the People's Bank of China on November 17, 2025, and have been agreed upon by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the State Administration for Market Regulation. They will be published and take effect on February 16, 2026.
<ul>
<li>South Korean Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, Verdict on February 19</li>
</ul>
According to Xinhua News Agency, the special prosecution team investigating the emergency martial law incident requested the court to impose the death penalty on former President Yoon Suk-yeol for allegedly leading a coup. The court announced that the first-instance verdict will be delivered on February 19.
<h2>Financial Reports</h2>
<ul>
<li>Mining Giants BHP, Glencore, Rio Tinto, and Retail Giant Walmart to Release Financial Reports</li>
</ul>
Companies set to release financial reports next week include:
Figma, Air Liquide, Airbus, Amrize, Analog Devices, Anglo American, Anglogold Ashanti, Antofagasta, BAE Systems, BHP Group, BlueScope Steel, Booking, Bridgestone, Cadence Design Systems, Carvana, CenterPoint Energy, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Consolidated Edison, CRH, Danone, Deere, Devon Energy, DoorDash, DTE Energy, eBay, Energy Transfer,
EQT, Expand Energy, Extra Space Storage, FirstEnergy, Garmin, Glencore, Gold Fields, Goodman Group, Hochtief, Insmed, Kenvue, Kinross Gold, Live Nation Entertainment, Medtronic, Moody's, Naturgy Energy Group, Nestle, Newmont, Nutrien, Occidental Petroleum, Orange, Orlen, Palo Alto Networks, PPL, PTT, Quanta Services, Republic Services, Rio Tinto, Samsung Life Insurance, Saudi Telecom, Sika, Southern, Targa Resources, Teck Resources, Telstra Group, Texas Pacific Land, Transurban Group, Vulcan Materials, Wal-Mart de Mexico, Walmart, Wesfarmers, Zurich Insurance Group

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The "longest in history" Spring Festival holiday has begun, with A-shares and many international markets closed. On the macro front, the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes, December PCE, and fourth-quarter GDP revision will guide the interest rate cut path, while Japan will hold a prime ministerial election. In the AI field, the first India AI Summit is being held, attended by Jensen Huang and others; domestically, flagship models like DeepSeek V4 may be released during the Spring Festival, igniting a technological "Spring Festival Gala." In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court may make a ruling on the Trump tariff case, Google will release the Pixel 10a smartphone, and giants like Walmart will disclose their financial reports

- The upcoming week features significant global financial events, including the first India AI Summit and the anticipated release of DeepSeek V4 in China's AI sector.  
- Major U.S. economic data, like the December PCE inflation and Q4 GDP, will influence market expectations, while a Supreme Court ruling on Trump's tariffs is also anticipated.  
- Asia will observe a lengthy Lunar New Year holiday, with several stock markets, including China and South Korea, closed during this period.

Spring Festival Week Heavy Preview: The Federal Reserve's Favorite Inflation Indicator, DeepSeek V4 May Be Released