Chinese stock markets have wrapped up a buoyant first week of 2026, with the Shanghai Composite up close to 3 percent since Monday, hitting a decade high, according to China Global Television Network's financial market analyst Timothy Pope on Friday.
Chinese stocks closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.92 percent to 4,120.43 points.
The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.15 percent higher at 14,120.15 points.
"The markets have wrapped up a very buoyant first week of the year, with the Shanghai Composite up close to 3 percent since Monday, and 0.9 percent today alone, taking it to a fresh decade high. I feel like I've already used those words a lot this week. The Shenzhen Component added almost 1.2 percent today, also had a very good day. Today the market got some welcome news in the latest inflation data, showing consumer prices rose to a three year high in December. The CPI was up 0.8 percent with particularly big jumps in the price of foods, so fresh vegetables and beef in particular, that's according to the National Bureau of Statistics, but both signs of easing consumer deflationary pressure, was definitely welcomed by the market, as was signs in the producer price index, that was responding to the governments campaign against involution, is starting ease pressures there," said the analyst.
"But it has been pointed out by market analysts that investors are still favoring non-consumer facing sectors when it comes to equities at the moment, so some of that is coincidental, some of it's not. Investors are still chasing metals stocks, in particular, gold miners still riding high on Friday despite a drop in the price of spot gold. But in China we have actually seen the gold bullion trading at a huge premium this week, more than 20 dollars above the global spot price this week, with interest in bullion only growing in the new year. And that's been reflected in equities. But most sectors trading higher today, we saw the big exception being financial stocks, so there was some profit taking on the big banks and insurers after some gains earlier in the week," he said.
China stock markets wrap up buoyant first week of 2026: CGTN market analyst
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
