TOKYO (Oct 2): Annual core inflation in Japan's capital accelerated in September at its fastest pace in 10 months, highlighting mounting price pressure and bolstering the case for further interest rate hikes from the central bank.

Tokyo core inflation rate jumps in September, bolsters case for more BOJ hikes

President Donald Trump’s top trade adviser said there’s no timeline for cutting tariffs on the US$60 billion of goods recently recommended by the US-China Board of Trade.

Greer says no date set for US-China board of trade tariff cuts

Bank of England interest rate-setter Catherine Mann said the central bank made errors in how it framed its policy response to the shock from the Middle East war, and that has pushed up borrowing costs in the UK in ways that should be of no comfort to officials.

Bank of England official says central bank mishandled its first response to Iran shock

Indonesia plans to increase the tax-free income threshold for the first time in a decade, a senior minister said, a move aimed at increasing disposable income and spurring economic activity.

Indonesia plans to raise tax-free income threshold to boost economic activity 

TAIPEI (Oct 1): Taiwan's government said on Thursday that it plans to spend around T$415 billion (US$13.0 billion) this year to help its main power producer Taipower and oil refiner CPC absorb costs from sharply rising global energy prices due to the Middle East war.

Taiwan plans US$13 bil in extra energy spending given high global prices

SEOUL (Oct 1): South Korea's exports jumped 83.5% in September from a year earlier to a record US$120.9 billion, government data showed on Thursday, as semiconductor shipments more than tripled on global spending on artificial intelligence.

South Korea's monthly exports top US$120 bil for the first time on record chip sales

JAKARTA (Oct 1): Indonesia booked a surprisingly large trade surplus of US$3.55 billion in August, official data showed on Thursday, well above market expectations, but some economists doubted the position was sustainable.

Indonesia posts wider-than-expected US$3.55 bil trade surplus in August

WASHINGTON (Sept 30): US President Donald Trump unveiled plans on Wednesday for South Korea to invest some US$200 billion in US projects, but Seoul quickly suggested one key element, a US$54 billion pipeline for an LNG project in Alaska, was not yet set in stone.

Trump unveils US$200 bil South Korean investment in US; Seoul hedges on Alaska pipeline

SAO PAULO/MILWAUKEE (Sept 30): Brazil is seeking a "full tariff reduction" in talks with the US, Trade Minister Marcio Elias Rosa told reporters on Wednesday after he met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Milwaukee.

Brazil seeks 'full tariff reduction' in US trade pact

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 1): Malaysia’s manufacturing sector ended the third quarter broadly stable, with softer new orders and output offset by rising employment and easing inflation.

Malaysian manufacturing ends 3Q broadly stable as orders soften, hiring rises, inflation eases — PMI data

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be temporarily exempted from any new minimum wage increase, Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said on Wednesday.

MSMEs temporarily exempted from new minimum wage hike, says minister

Overseas investors are turning sellers of Indian assets again as surging oil prices and rising global yields threaten to derail a recent revival in demand.

Foreign money flees India again as oil spike undoes policy gains

Inflation rose far quicker than expected in some of the eurozone's biggest economies this month due to the energy-price shock of the Iran war, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to raise interest rates again.

Inflation jumps across eurozone, raising pressure on ECB to hike

Malaysian households’ gross financial assets grew 6.2% to €769 billion (RM3.56 trillion) in 2025, a decline from 8.7% growth a year earlier, according to Allianz Research.

Malaysia household financial assets growth slowed in 2025 — Allianz Research

SINGAPORE (Oct 2): The number of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes exiting the Strait of Hormuz rose in September to its highest monthly level since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, data from analytics firms, shows, despite persistent security worries and uncertainty.

September LNG shipments through Hormuz hit highest since start of US-Iran war

On July 11, a new road was opened between Malaysia and Thailand connecting the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS (Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security) Complex in Kedah to the new Sadao CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) Complex in Songkhla, in southern Thailand. Launched by Prime Minister Da...

Building a northern industrial ecosystem

The board of Thai Airways has suspended chief executive Chai Eamsiri over the flag carrier's response to a flood crisis in Bangkok, local media outlets reported on Friday.

Thai Airways board suspends chief executive over flood response, local media report

James Dyson’s vacuum cleaner maker has ramped up its annual dividend to the billionaire’s family holding company following years of declining payouts for one of Britain’s richest entrepreneurs.

Dyson’s US$995 mil dividend reverses years of falling payouts

(Oct 2): Volvo Car AB scrapped its full-year sales-volume and cash-flow outlook, warning of a significant hit to third-quarter earnings due to deteriorating conditions in China and a slower-than-expected US recovery.

Volvo Car scraps outlook as China, US weakness curb earnings

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has assured the Malaysian government that it will provide all necessary cooperation to facilitate the process of verifying the status of 54 Malaysians who remain unaccounted for after the country's devastating floods.

Anwar: Nepal PM vows cooperation to verify status of 54 missing Malaysians

(Oct 2): Novartis AG will license a messenger RNA-based autoimmune therapy from China’s Abogen Biosciences, in a deal worth as much as US$7.8 billion.

Novartis inks Chinese mRNA-therapy deal for up to US$7.8 bil

Hong Kong’s stock benchmark led losses in Asia as trading resumed after a holiday, pressured by the recent surge in US yields and disappointment over China’s latest stimulus measures.

Hong Kong stocks slump most since March, led by financials

Asian shares fell on Friday as investors grappled with wild swings in bond and currency markets ahead of key US jobs data, while a widening US military buildup in the Gulf kept oil prices elevated and inflation risks alive.

Asian shares fall after wild swings in bonds, forex; US jobs data looms

Malaysian manufacturers must accelerate the adoption of automation to boost productivity and reduce their dependence on foreign labour, said Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin.

Manufacturers urged to speed up automation as govt cuts foreign worker quotas

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) owes the government over RM200 million as the digital services firm failed to remit the money collected from its customers, the Straits Times reported on Friday.

Transport Ministry confirms to The Edge that Zetrix AI owes JPJ over RM200 mil

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): American manufacturers operating in Malaysia are reducing their reliance on Chinese inputs and turning to local suppliers as they adapt to pressure from US tariffs, according to a survey.

US manufacturers in Malaysia shift to local suppliers, cut Chinese inputs amid tariffs, survey shows

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s PKR has lost another member of Parliament after Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung announced his resignation from the seat on Friday.

Lee Chean Chung resigns as Petaling Jaya MP, leaving PKR with only 26 seats

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 2): Berjaya Hills Resorts Bhd has filed leave to appeal to the Federal Court, over the Court of Appeal’s decision on July 16, which had ruled that state governments have the authority to determine quit rent rates without having to obtain approval from the National Land Council (NLC).

Berjaya Hills obtains stay against Pahang govt’s land forfeiture, also lodges appeal to apex court

Selling pressure on Malaysian large-cap stocks could persist over the next one to three months amid cautious global sentiment but is unlikely to trigger a sharp market correction, according to BIMB Securities.

KLCI selling pressure may persist, but sharp correction unlikely — analysts

Asian shares fell on Friday as investors grappled with wild swings in bond and currency markets ahead of key US jobs data, while a widening US military buildup in the Gulf kept oil prices elevated and inflation risks alive.

（吉隆坡2日讯）据《海峡时报》周五报道，数字服务公司Zetrix AI Bhd（KL:ZETRIX）拖欠政府逾2亿令吉，原因是该公司没有上缴向客户收取的款项。

交通部向The Edge证实 Zetrix AI欠JPJ超过2亿

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): IOI Properties Group Bhd's (KL:IOIPG) second attempt at Shenton House is drawing less analyst concern now that the group has a clearer capital-recycling path through its Malaysian REIT and a potential Singapore REIT.

IOI Properties' second bid on Shenton House draws less caution as REITs open capital-recycling route — analysts

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): Country Heights Holdings Bhd (KL:CHHB) said its 80.90%-owned subsidiary Golden Horse Palace Bhd (GHPB) has been served with a winding-up petition over two outstanding Industrial Court awards.

Palace of the Golden Horses operator served winding-up petition over industrial court award claim

Tenaga Nasional Bhd’s (TNB) (KL:TENAGA) customers who use up to 800 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month will receive a pro-rata credit for the September bill adjustment, which will be credited directly to their October 2026 electricity bills.

Customers to get pro-rata credit in October 2026 bills, says TNB

Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (PETRONAS) capital allocation could come under pressure if the government seeks larger dividend contributions from the state-owned oil firm to offset higher fuel subsidy costs, according to BIMB Securities.

Larger PETRONAS dividend may weigh on long-term capital allocation — BIMB Securities

Malaysia’s top 100 technology start-ups identified by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd collectively generated RM8.5 billion in revenue in the financial year 2024, with an average compound annual growth rate of 87% between 2021 and 2024.

Top 100 start-ups generate RM8.5 bil in revenue

The first apartment came up for auction and nobody moved.

Luxury condos seized in Singapore’s biggest money-laundering case find few buyers

SINGAPORE/PERTH (Oct 2): Oil prices were broadly stable on Friday as the market weighed the possibility of renewed US-Iran tensions against signs of recovering Middle Eastern supplies this week.

Oil treads water as market weighs mixed supply signals

Zhi Ge, the alleged leader of an international insider trading ring, lost his court challenge against a US extradition request.

Singaporean insider trading suspect loses extradition fight

THE government will have to find more fiscal space without slapping on new taxes under Budget 2027. High energy prices are eating into some of the savings from subsidy reforms even as Putrajaya wants to cushion households, invest for growth and continue narrowing the fiscal deficit.

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Cover Story 1: Experts expect Putrajaya to sweat existing tax system 

BENGALURU (Oct 2): Amazon is seeking to offload about US$8 billion of advanced Nvidia&nbsp;chips to investors through a new vehicle to strengthen its balance sheet, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Amazon seeks to offload US$8 bil of Nvidia chips to investors, FT reports

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): Gas Malaysia Bhd (KL:GASMSIA)&nbsp;aims to make a final investment decision on plans for its first regasification terminal by the second half of next year, with the facility due to come online by the end of 2030, its chief executive said.

Gas Malaysia targets investment decision on Kedah LNG terminal by second half of 2027

Here's a heads up on what to look out for today.

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Oct 2, 2026 

Hong Kong’s stock benchmark led losses in Asia as trading resumed after a holiday, pressured by the recent surge in US yields and disappointment over China’s latest stimulus measures.

Economic Focus

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