Asian stocks fell on Friday as escalating US-China economic tensions and uncertainty about political developments in Japan sapped investor confidence, while commodities took a breather after their recent charge higher.
Federal Reserve officials agreed at their recent policy meeting that risks to the U.S. job market had increased enough to warrant an interest rate cut, but remained wary of high inflation amid a debate about how much borrowing costs were weighing on the economy, minutes of the September 16-17 session showed on Wednesday.
The world economy has proven more resilient than expected despite acute strains from multiple shocks, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, forecasting only a slight slowing of global growth this year and in 2026.
Malaysia’s natural rubber (NR) production declined by 12.8% month-on-month to 31,285 tonnes in August 2025, down from 35,884 tonnes in July, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
New light-vehicle sales in the United States climbed to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 16.4 million units in September 2025, up 3.5% from a year earlier, as buyers rushed to purchase electric vehicles before the federal EV tax credit expired on September 30. According to the NADA’s September Market Beat report, the strong performance was driven in part by “pull-ahead” demand ahead of the credit deadline.
The World Bank has warned that Malaysia risks losing its US export market share to competing countries with lower tariffs, and that an uphill battle lies ahead for the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector.