st

th

This is the picture that I want to be remembered by’, is what Charlie Chaplin said at the time of the release of the 1925 American comedy silent film ‘The Gold Rush’ which was also written, produced and directed by the man himself, and, is to date, considered one of Chaplin’s most celebrated works. The Chinese were also ‘rushing’ to China’s scenic ‘golden’ spots, as last week the country was celebrating its ‘National Day Golden week’, which began on October 1 and lasted until October 8, commemorating the founding of  the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

However, this year’s ‘National Day Golden week’ is a bit different than in previous years. Not only does it last 8 days instead of the typical 7 but it also coincides with the traditional Mid-Autumn festival, making it this time around a so-called ‘Super Golden Week’. Unlike most European countries, there isn’t a legal policy of x amount of annual leaves for Chinese employees, so it is up to the employers to decide how many days annual leave staff are entitled to. Golden Week is therefore the ideal opportunity for many Chinese people to travel or enjoy a (well-deserved) break. Close to 700 million people were expected to travel domestically or abroad during the ‘Super Golden week’ which is about half the country’s almost 1.4 billion population. The CNTA, China Tourism academy, projected that for the entire week travel-related spending might reach close to 600 billion Yuan or $90 billion (read more).

The Ageas share was also ‘rushing’ towards ‘gold’ as last trading week the share increased by 0.96% closing above EUR 40 at EUR 40.14, the highest level in 9 months, while the EuroStoxx 50 and European 600 Insurance Index closed up 0.2% and 0.4% respectively.