Today's data highlights: 178,000 fewer couples registered for marriage in the first quarter; some egg-throwing gift boxes cost more than 1,000 yuan each

The number of marriage registrations decreased by 178,000 in the first quarter of 2024

In the nine years from 2013 to 2022, the number of marriages in my country fell from 10 million to below 7 million. It was not until last year that the number of marriages stopped falling and began to rise again.

According to the civil affairs statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the first quarter of 2024, the number of marriage registrations nationwide in the first quarter was 1.969 million, a significant decrease of 178,000 pairs compared with 2.147 million pairs in the same period of 2023. At the same time, the number of divorce registrations also dropped from 641,000 pairs in the same period last year to 573,000 pairs, a decrease of 68,000 pairs.

The low marriage rate has an impact on all aspects of economic life, such as the wedding candy industry. A wedding candy shop owner said, "Now the candy orders for wedding banquets are less than those for exam banquets." Fewer people are getting married, and people's attitude towards sugar has also changed from "sweet memories" to reducing sugar and controlling sugar. It is said that a package of wedding candy used to contain 28 pieces, but now it generally only contains 8 pieces. But this is not the whole picture of the candy industry. The candy industry, unwilling to give up, is trying to save itself, from new flavors to fashionable designs, to win back the hearts of young people.

42℃ is not among the top 10 hottest temperatures this year

On the morning of June 16, the Central Meteorological Observatory released the high temperature rankings so far this year. Xinjiang and Henan each accounted for three of the top 10 regions. The 10th place on the list was 42.7℃ in Qinyang, Henan on June 13. In other words, the highest temperatures in the top 10 regions of the national high temperature rankings this year all exceeded 42℃.

Since the beginning of last year, throwing eggs has gradually become popular and has become a social currency in the financial circle. Recently, the 100 billion financial giant Oriental Fortune has laid out a layout in the throwing egg track. Offline, throwing eggs has also become a new business in chess and card rooms, teahouses and even werewolf killing shops.

After the Spring Festival this year, the price of Moutai continued to fall, and the discussion of "Flipping Eggs to Destroy Moutai" became more and more intense. People in the liquor industry said that the above statement was just a joke. The two are not in a competitive relationship. After the popularity of flipping eggs, liquor companies are increasing related marketing. Well-known liquor companies such as Gujing, Luzhou Laojiao, and Wuliangye have sponsored and hosted various flipping egg competitions.

At present, all major poker brands have already launched the game of throwing eggs. Throwing eggs poker often comes in the form of gift boxes, which has a relatively larger premium space. On mainstream e-commerce platforms, the price of a throwing egg gift box is about several hundred yuan, and some sets even cost more than a thousand yuan.

Beijing kindergartens reduce outdoor physical education classes during high temperature periods

On June 16, Beijing Municipal Education Commission issued an announcement: Beijing Meteorological Observatory has upgraded and issued an orange high temperature warning signal. It is expected that from June 17 to 18, the highest temperature in the plain area will reach above 37°C from 13:00 to 17:00 every day. All units are requested to make comprehensive preparations for the response:

Kindergartens, primary and secondary vocational schools should reduce outdoor physical education classes, military training and outdoor activities during high temperature periods of the day.

Comprehensively check the air-conditioning equipment in student dormitories and classrooms, take effective measures to lower the temperature in dormitories and classrooms, and increase indoor ventilation; ensure adequate supply of drinking water and drinking water safety, strictly implement food safety systems, and prevent food poisoning incidents.

Vocational colleges and general undergraduate colleges shall follow the same rules according to their actual conditions. In case of any emergency, they shall report it in time.

Gold prices soared but sales slumped, Chow Tai Fook's sales fell by 20% in April and May

Xiao Sun, a salesperson at a brand gold shop on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai, has been worried about her sales performance for the past two months. According to her, the period after the Chinese New Year in previous years was the off-season for gold sales, but she did not expect it to be so slow this year.

When the reporter interviewed her at the beginning of this year, she was a little proud. At that time, the gold sales in the store had a wave of momentum, and several people squeezed on the small counter. "Two out of three people who came to ask about the price of gold bought it." Xiao Sun would tell the hesitant customers that buying now would be profitable, and the price would rise later.

Xiao Sun was right. After the Lunar New Year, the international gold price continued to rise, and the listed prices in major domestic gold shops also soared, from the 6-digit to the 7-digit.

But people did not chase the price increase. After the gold price rose, the business in the store became quiet. There were more people waiting and watching, and fewer people buying. For the salesmen, the monthly performance commission was also reduced. In previous market visits, more than one gold shop salesperson told reporters that April and May were originally off-seasons, but this year it is even worse.

The chain brand gold shops behind them were also affected.

On June 13, Chow Tai Fook, a leading company in this industry, released its full-year results for the year ending March 31, 2024. The financial report shows that in fiscal year 2024, Chow Tai Fook's turnover increased by 14.8% year-on-year to HK$108.713 billion, and its main operating profit increased by 28.9% year-on-year to HK$12.163 billion.

The impressive results of double growth did not boost the company's stock price. After opening the next day, Chow Tai Fook's stock price fell by more than 10% at one point, and then closed at HK$8.62, down 8.88%.

Another set of data released with the annual report may cause market concerns. The company's unaudited main operating data from April 1 to May 31, 2024 showed that Chow Tai Fook's retail value fell 20.2% compared with the same period last year. The decline was mainly due to the high volatility of gold prices after a surge, and consumers' wait-and-see sentiment intensified.