The week of June 14th to June 22nd is packed with significant financial events, all listed in Beijing Time. The main events are as follows.

First is the "Super Central Bank Week": The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady, with the focus on new Chairman Walsh's first press conference—markets are watching for hawkish or dovish signals and whether the "dot plot" will be scrapped. Simultaneously, the probability of a Bank of Japan rate hike is as high as 88%, though Governor Ueda will be absent due to illness. Central banks in the UK, Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, and others will also make statements, further illustrating the global divergence in monetary policy.

Second is China's May macroeconomic data. Figures for retail sales, industrial value-added, and housing prices in 70 cities will be released. High oil prices and a high base from last year may suppress growth rates. Additionally, Japan's May CPI, U.S. May retail sales, and the June New York Fed manufacturing index will be published.

Third is the intersection of technology and geopolitics. The G7 summit will focus on the Strait of Hormuz, OpenAI's CEO will visit South Korea to meet with Samsung, Amazon will execute the largest payload launch for its Leo constellation, and companies like Suiyuan Technology and Yuexin Semiconductor will push for listings on the STAR Market. Furthermore, the 2026 Lujiazui Forum will be held from June 17th to 18th.

It is important to note that on Friday, June 19th, for the Dragon Boat Festival, China's A-shares, Hong Kong, and Taiwan stock markets will be closed. U.S. markets will also be closed for Juneteenth.

Key Economic Indicators and Central Bank Rate Decisions

Federal Reserve Rate Decision and Walsh's Debut

At 2:00 AM Beijing Time on Thursday, June 18th, the Federal Reserve will announce its June FOMC interest rate decision, with the market widely expecting rates to remain unchanged.

Around 2:30 AM, new Fed Chairman Walsh will hold his first press conference since taking office. Markets are highly focused on how this new leader will reshape the Fed's communication with markets and what policy signals he will convey.

Potential changes currently under discussion include shortening FOMC statements, eliminating the interest rate dot plot, and reducing the frequency of chair press conferences.

Bank of Japan Rate Decision: Ueda Absent Due to Illness

The Bank of Japan will hold its policy meeting from June 15th to 16th. Governor Kazuo Ueda will miss the meeting due to a liver cyst infection, marking the first such absence since 1998. Market expectations for a rate hike this time are as high as 88%, and the governor's absence is not expected to affect the outcome. The BoJ announced that Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida will preside over the post-meeting press conference on the 16th.

However, Nomura warns this will make policy communication on Japan's future rate path "extremely complex." Meanwhile, whether Prime Minister Hayashi, who favors accommodative policy, will use this opportunity to influence the central bank's direction has become a new market focus.

Additionally, on Friday, June 19th, the Bank of Japan will release the minutes from its April monetary policy meeting.

Policy Rates from the UK, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Others

Next week, central banks including the Bank of England, Reserve Bank of Australia, Central Bank of Brazil, National Bank of Ukraine, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bank Indonesia, Swiss National Bank, Norges Bank, Bank of Russia, and Sveriges Riksbank will announce interest rate decisions.

The market widely expects the Reserve Bank of Australia to keep its rate at 4.35% on June 16th. The Bank of England is expected to hold its rate at 3.75% on June 18th, with broad expectations for no change despite inflationary pressures.

In emerging markets, the Central Bank of Brazil is expected to cut rates by 25 basis points on June 17th. On June 18th, Bank Indonesia and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas are each expected to hike rates by 50 basis points, to 6% and 5% respectively, to counter currency depreciation and inflation.

China's May Retail Sales, Industrial Value-Added, and Housing Price Data

On June 16th, China will release data for May, including retail sales, industrial value-added, real estate development investment, and housing prices in 70 cities. The State Council Information Office will hold a press conference at 10:00 AM that day to introduce the performance of the national economy in May.

Shenwan Hongyuan Securities expects that high oil prices and inflation will impact domestic consumer demand, potentially leading to a slowdown in the growth rates of retail sales and industrial value-added for May.

Japan's May CPI

On June 19th, Japan will release its May CPI data. According to Bloomberg Economics forecasts, driven by rising fresh food prices and the end of energy subsidies, the headline annual inflation rate is expected to accelerate to 1.6% from April's 1.4%, with the core-core measure projected to remain high at 1.9%.

Notable Financial Events

Dragon Boat Festival Holiday: China A-Shares, Hong Kong Shares, and U.S. Shares Closed

The Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges announced the 2026 Dragon Boat Festival holiday schedule: markets will be closed from Friday, June 19th, to Sunday, June 21st, and will reopen as usual on Monday, June 22nd. On June 19th, markets in Hong Kong and Taiwan will also be closed for the holiday.

Juneteenth is a U.S. federal holiday, and major financial markets, including the NYSE and Nasdaq, will be closed all day on June 19th.

G7 Summit Held in France

The 52nd Group of Seven (G7) summit will be held from June 15th to 17th in Évian-les-Bains, France, with France serving as the rotating presidency.

Markets expect G7 leaders to urge U.S. President Trump to support a European-led mission to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

OpenAI CEO Visits South Korea, AI Cooperation on Agenda

According to Yonhap News Agency, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on June 14th. On the 15th, he will attend a discussion with executives and employees of Samsung Electronics' Device eXperience (DX) division and meet with Kakao representative Jung Jin-ah to explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation. This visit marks Altman's return to South Korea after eight months, following closely on the heels of Jensen Huang's visit in early June.

Amazon Plans Leo Europe 3 Launch Mission

Amazon plans to execute its "Leo Europe 3" launch mission at 7:53 AM Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 17th. The mission will use an Ariane 6 rocket equipped with an upgraded P160C booster to deploy 36 satellites for its constellation, representing an increase in single-launch capacity from the previous 32 satellites. This marks the largest payload launch to date for Amazon's Leo constellation in collaboration with Arianespace.

UK's Makerfield By-Election: Burnham Aims for Labour Leadership

The by-election for Makerfield in Greater Manchester, UK, is scheduled for June 18th. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is expected to win the by-election and return to the UK's Westminster Parliament. Reports indicate Burnham has stated he will challenge current Labour leader Keir Starmer for the party leadership.

Institutions like BNP Paribas Asset Management warn that this by-election could become a "trigger" for a new round of severe volatility in the UK's $3 trillion bond market.

Domestic GPU Firm Suiyuan Technology's STAR Market IPO Review

The listing committee of the Shanghai Stock Exchange is scheduled to hold its 37th review meeting of 2026 on June 15th, 2026, to review the initial public offering of Shanghai Suiyuan Technology Co., Ltd.

Yuexin Semiconductor Scheduled for Review on June 15th

The listing committee of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is scheduled to hold its 34th review meeting of 2026 on June 15th, 2026, to review the initial public offering of Yuexin Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd.

Hesai Technology Among 7 Stocks Added to HKEX Tech 100 Index

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited announced the results of the semi-annual review for the HKEX Tech 100 Index. Seven technology stocks, including Changfei Optical Fiber, Deep Tech, Converge Technology, and Hesai Technology, will be added, while seven constituents will be removed. The changes take effect on Monday, June 15th.

Yuanjie Technology Added to STAR 50; GigaDevice Added to SSE 50

The STAR 50 Index will add Huahong Company, Yuanjie Technology, Moore Threads, and Muxi Co., Ltd. The SSE 50 Index will add Tebian Electric, Shengyi Technology, Aluminum Corporation of China, Huatai Securities, and GigaDevice. The changes take effect after the market close on June 12th, 2026, meaning trading will reflect them starting Monday, June 15th.

VivaTech 2026, Europe's Largest Tech Event

VivaTech 2026 will be held in Paris from June 17th to 20th. As Europe's largest technology event, it will focus on the economic returns from artificial intelligence.

2026 Lujiazui Forum Scheduled for June 17-18

The theme of the 2026 Lujiazui Forum is "Financial Development and Cooperation under the Global Governance Initiative: New Vision, New Challenges, and New Opportunities." The forum will be held on June 17th and 18th, 2026. Participants will include representatives from China's central financial regulatory bodies, overseas financial authorities such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Hungarian National Bank, international financial organizations like the World Bank, domestic and international financial markets including the Shanghai Stock Exchange and HKEX Group, as well as some central financial institutions and well-known foreign financial institutions.

CAAM Hosts "2026 International Automobile & Supply Chain Expo (Hong Kong)"

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers will host the "2026 International Automobile & Supply Chain Expo (Hong Kong)" from June 18th to 22nd.