U.S. manufacturing activity edged up in September, though new orders and employment were subdued as factories grappled with the fallout from President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.
The U.S. government shutdown has thrown the brakes on the flow of federal economic data at a moment of uncertainty and division among policymakers like those at the Federal Reserve about the health of the U.S. job market, the trajectory of inflation and the strength of consumer spending and business investment.
Malaysia has emerged as Asean’s top performer, with more than 35% of global corporates planning to increase or maintain trade activities with the nation, according to Standard Chartered’s Future of Trade report.
Japan will run a US$550 billion (RM2.32 trillion) US-bound investment package agreed in Tokyo's tariff deal with Washington without any impact on the foreign exchange (forex) market, its top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Wednesday.
Confidence among big Japanese manufacturers improved for the second straight quarter and firms maintained their upbeat spending plans, a central bank survey showed, heightening the chance of an interest rate hike as soon as this month.
Shares were mixed in Asia on Wednesday, with Chinese markets closed for a weeklong holiday, as a U.S. government shutdown loomed.