The country's rubber industry is expected to soar in the coming years following the strengthening of cooperation with China in the field of commodities, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Most Asian stocks fell on Wednesday with markets remaining broadly risk-off before a closely-watched interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve later in the day, while weak economic readings from Japan also weighed.

China kept benchmark lending rates unchanged at a monthly fixing on Wednesday, matching market expectations, as fresh signs of economic stabilisation and a weakening yuan reduced the need for immediate monetary easing.

Indonesia's parliament committee on Tuesday approved the government's higher 2024 budget expenditure of $216 billion to support economic growth, but some analysts say a bigger spending buffer might be needed to cope with adverse weather events.

Britain remains on course to have the highest inflation of leading rich economies in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts which showed the country's inflation problem widening compared with most of its peers.

Euro zone consumer inflation in August was slightly lower than initially estimated, the European Union's statistics office Eurostat said on Tuesday, but still remained more than twice the European Central Bank's target.