Goldman Sachs Group Inc president John Waldron said markets are primed for possible further declines and investors will be keeping close tabs on the upcoming key earnings report from technology leader Nvidia Corp.

Exports defied expectations for a second month running in October, jumping 15.7% on higher trade with Singapore, Hong Kong and the European Union, among others, and a jump in electrical and electronics (E&E) product exports. The trade surplus grew 58.9% to RM19.0 billion.

Governor Kazuo Ueda told Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is in the process of slowly dialling back its easing support for the economy, signalling his unshaken intention to carefully raise rates.

Initial applications for US jobless benefits totalled 232,000 in the week ended Oct 18, according to the Labor Department website showing historical data for claims.

New orders for US-manufactured goods rebounded in August, though business spending on equipment was not as strong as initially thought.

Asean must address the immediate fallout from the rise in tariffs by defining the rules of origin more clearly, closing trans-shipment loopholes, and developing trade diversion safeguards, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour.