THE 25% tariff on Malaysian exports to the US has certainly given local furniture makers, who were already suffering from earnings contractions since the Covid-19 pandemic, the jitters. Industry players are crying foul over what has been described as an “abrupt and severe measure” by the Trump administration.

Investors are showing signs of pulling money out of government bonds and plowing it into US and European company debt.  

China’s industrial earnings fell for a second straight month, with authorities set to intensify their drive to rein in excessive competition that’s dragging down prices and compounding the pain from US tariffs.

Malaysia’s economy remains on a “strong footing” and may expand 4.0%-4.8% this year, the central bank said on Monday, days ahead of the US tariff deadline.

Malaysia’s foreign levy under the proposed multi-tier mechanism could see a minimum increase of between RM300 and RM500, a Home Ministry official was quoted as saying in the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) latest report.

The US and European Union (EU) agreed on a hard-fought deal that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports, including automobiles, staving off a trade war that could have delivered a hammer blow to the global economy.