This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 25, 2025 - August 31, 2025

This week will be the final week for Bursa Malaysia-listed companies to release their financial results for the third quarter of the year.

These include heavyweights Malayan Banking Bhd (KL:MAYBANK) and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA) (Aug 26); Sunway Bhd (KL:SUNWAY) and IJM Corp Bhd (KL:IJM) (Aug 27); RHB Bank Bhd (KL:RHBBANK), Public Bank Bhd (KL:PBBANK) and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (KL:CIMB) (Aug 28); followed by IHH Healthcare Bhd (KL:IHH) and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (KL:TM) (Aug 29).

On Aug 29, the Department of Statistics is set to release two survey reports on household income and expenditure for 2024. The surveys are done twice within any period of five years, with the last being in 2022.

On the same day, Bank Negara Malaysia’s highlights and statistics for July will be out, which include the banking sector’s loan growth performance.

Following the first reading of the Urban Renewal Bill in the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 21, the second and third readings are scheduled for Aug 27, although some lawmakers have urged for a deferment of the second reading and to have the bill referred to the relevant Parliamentary Special Select Committees for further scrutiny. The bill seeks to lower the consent threshold for redevelopment projects to support the country’s sustainable development agenda.

Globally, the US is set to release its updated gross domestic product data for 2Q2025 on Aug 28 following an initial print of 3%. More importantly, the July personal consumption expenditures (PCE) measure will be out on Aug 29.

“Key to the consumer inflation outlook and Aug 29’s PCE data is therefore whether retailers and other consumer-facing firms will soak up some of these price increases through squeezed margins or whether we will start to see some greater pass-through of tariff costs on to households. A further question is whether this tariff impact will merely cause a one-off lift in the price level or lead to more entrenched, stickier inflation,” says S&P Global Market Intelligence in an Aug 22 note.

US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold their first summit meeting on Aug 25 in Washington, DC, to discuss strengthening the bilateral alliance and economic security partnership.

Within the Asia-Pacific region, Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for China (Aug 31) will be a key focus this week, alongside central bank meetings in South Korea and the Philippines on Aug 28. UOB Global Economics & Markets Research expects a 25-basis-point cut to the Philippines’ overnight reverse repurchase rate on the back of the latest downbeat inflation outlook, and a moderate economic growth outlook provides additional policy space for the central bank to ease further. However, no change is expected to the Bank of Korea’s key interest rate in anticipation of economic growth improvement, helped by a more favourable base effect and improvement in sentiments.

Other key releases include monthly inflation data from Australia and Japan’s consumer confidence and industrial production numbers.

In Thailand, the constitutional court is expected to deliver its verdict on the ethics case against suspended Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Aug 29. This comes after a Thai court on Aug 22 dismissed a royal insult case against her father and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, citing insufficient evidence to prove any wrongdoing.

On the local corporate front, companies holding their annual general meetings this week include Oppstar Bhd (KL:OPPSTAR) (Aug 26); Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd (KL:MATRIX), QL Resources Bhd (KL:QL), IJM and Kerjaya Prospek Property Bhd (KL:KPPROP) (Aug 28); and Eastern & Oriental Bhd (KL:E&O) (Aug 29).

Kerjaya Prospek Property will also seek shareholders’ approval at an extraordinary general meeting for a proposed rights issue of shares and redeemable convertible unsecured loan stocks to raise up to RM147.18 million, mainly to fund property development projects and repay loans.

In the courts, Bagan member of parliament Lim Guan Eng’s Penang undersea tunnel trial will continue on Aug 27 and 28 at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court. He is accused of soliciting a 10% cut in the RM6.3 billion project’s profits, as well as accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks.

There will also be the continued hearing of former Malaysian Merchant Marine Bhd executive deputy chairman Datuk Ramesh Rajaratnam’s appeal before the High Court on Aug 28. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal (CoA) ruled that the High Court had erred in acquitting Ramesh without considering the merits of the case and as such reinstated the conviction and sentence imposed by the Sessions Court and remitted the case to the High Court to be reheard on its merits.

On Aug 29, the Federal Court will hear Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd’s stay application on the CoA’s decision in June for the case to be sent back to the High Court for valuation of compensation of the 1956 acquisition of the prime land in Kuala Lumpur.

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