This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 15, 2026 - June 21, 2026

It will be a short working week owing to a mid-week holiday in Malaysia for the Islamic New Year.

On Monday, the Department of Statistics Malaysia will release the Domestic Tourism Survey for 2025 and Malaysia External Trade Statistics by State.

On Thursday, the monthly external trade statistics and the Consumer Price Index for the month of May will be announced. UOB estimates the May trade exports at 22.5% year on year from 36.9% in April, imports at 5% y-o-y from 20% in April, and trade surplus estimates of RM23 billion from RM28.8 billion in April.

Indonesian markets will be closed on Tuesday for the first day of Muharram while the Dragon Boat Festival will see holidays in Hong Kong and Taiwan on June 19 and China from June 19 to 21. Over in the US, financial markets will be closed on Friday, June 19, for the Juneteenth holiday.

A slew of monetary policy decisions are due this week. In the US, the Federal Reserve will hold its meetings on June 16/17 with a decision expected on Wednesday, June 18. More than 80% of the analysts polled by Bloomberg (as of June 12) expect the Fed to stay on hold in June.

“While we began the year with a rate cut bias, market expectations have markedly shifted since the outbreak of the US-Iran war that drove energy costs higher and various Fed officials have turned increasingly hawkish, most recently Fed governor [Christopher] Waller. We now expect an extended period of policy pause through 2026 before the Fed assumes easing in 2027, reflecting our expectations that inflation pressures will only begin to taper meaningfully in 1H2027.”

Four monetary policy decisions in the Asia-Pacific are due this week: the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on June 16 and the Bank of Indonesia (BI), the Philippines Central Bank (BSP) and the Taiwan Central Bank (CBC) on June 18.

All analysts surveyed by Bloomberg as of June 12 expect the RBA to maintain its cash rate at 4.35%. UOB economist Lee Sue Ann is with the majority: “We maintain our view that the RBA will keep the cash rate unchanged at 4.25%, while retaining a tightening bias, by signalling that further hikes remain possible if underlying inflation or expectations fail to ease.”

Twelve of the 17 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, meanwhile, expect the BSP to hike its overnight borrowing rate by 25 basis points to 4.75% and the remaining five analysts project a larger 50bps to 5%. 

Three of the analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect BI to pause while six project a 25bps rate hike to 5.75% with the remaining one analyst forecasting a larger 50bps hike.

UOB economist Enrico Tanuwidjaja expects the Indonesian central bank to continue tightening with a 50bps rate hike at the official scheduled Monetary Policy Committee meeting to 6% on June 18. UOB economist Enrico Tanuwidjaja expects the Indonesian central bank to continue tightening with a 50bps rate hike at the official scheduled Monetary Policy Committee meeting to 6% on June 18. Bloomberg consensus (as at June 12) and UOB’s Ho Woei Chen project that the CBC will remain on hold at 2%.

According to Bloomberg’s survey, 56 of 58 analysts expect the Bank of Japan to raise the key rate by 25bps to 1% on June 16 after a recent speech by Governor Ueda signalled a strong possibility of a June hike if risks of prices outpacing forecasts outweigh the impact of growth weakening due to the US-Iran war.

In Singapore, May non-oil domestic exports data will be released on Wednesday while the final 1Q2026 Labour Market Report is slated for release on Monday, which will include indicators such as job vacancies and labour turnover statistics (recruitment and resignation rates), providing further insights into labour market conditions.

New Zealand’s 1Q2026 gross domestic product will be released on June 18.

Key data from China include its May money supply, new CNY loans year to date and aggregate financing YTD, which is likely to be released between June 12 and 15. Its May industrial production, retail sales, surveyed jobless rates and fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) will be released on June 16.

On the local court front, the prosecution’s appeal over Muhammad Yusoff Rawther’s acquittal for trafficking cannabis and the possession of two fake pistols will be heard on Monday by the Court of Appeal. Yusoff will not be attending court because he is in the UK, where authorities have withheld his passport after he applied for asylum on humanitarian grounds.

Also on the same day, the Court of Appeal will hear an action by Datuk Seri Najib Razak to consolidate his appeal to include third parties in the SRC International suit where he has been found liable to pay over US$1 billion. In May the former prime minister was found liable for US$1.8 billion in losses suffered by SRC, as well as a separate US$120 million of SRC funds that ended up in his private bank account.

Several annual general meetings are scheduled this week. On Monday, ARB Bhd (KL:ARBB) will hold its AGM to be followed the following day by Allianz Malaysia Bhd (KL:ALLIANZ), Capital A Bhd (KL:CAPITALA), KPJ Healthcare Bhd (KL:KPJ) and ECM Libra Group (KL:ECM). On June 18,  Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (KL:MRCB) and Ann Joo Resources Bhd (KL:ANNJOO) will hold their AGMs, followed by MGB Bhd (KL:MGB) on Friday.

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