This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 21, 2026 - September 27, 2026

The key focus this week will be on China President Xi Jinping’s Sept 24 visit to the US for a highly anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump, during which tariffs are expected to be a key topic. The meeting comes four months after Trump’s visit to Beijing in May.

Markets will be watching for signs that the tariff truce agreed after the Trump-Xi summit in South Korea last October will be extended before it expires on Nov 10. The agreement temporarily eased tensions between the world’s two largest economies after a trade confrontation that saw both sides impose, or threaten to impose, tariffs of more than 100%, raising concerns about disruptions to global supply chains.

At home, the Department of Statistics Malaysia is scheduled to release data on the performance of the country’s domestic tourism for the second quarter (Sept 23), as well as on salaries and wages for 2025 (Sept 21). Bank Negara Malaysia will announce its foreign reserves position as at Sept 15, on Sept 23.

Over at the courts, the Sarawak government’s and Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (PETRONAS) petitions will be heard on Sept 24, seeking further directions from the Federal Court over their legal dispute. PETRONAS had previously sought clarity from the Federal Court over which laws govern its operations in Sarawak. Sarawak then filed its own petition to the apex court challenging the validity and continued application of several federal petroleum laws on the state.

Indonesia will have an interest rate decision on Sept 23. A Bloomberg survey sees Bank Indonesia (BI) making no change to its policy rate. BI has raised its benchmark rate by a cumulative 100 basis points (bps) this year, with the latest 25bps hike in April taking the rate to 5.75%, as it sought to support the rupiah and contain inflationary pressures amid heightened global uncertainty.

“Our economist … is with the majority expecting a pause in September. Although inflation remains well anchored, BI is likely to keep its strong focus on preserving rupiah stability amid elevated global market volatility, geopolitical uncertainties and risks from higher energy prices. Policymakers are expected to retain a cautious bias, preferring to support growth through liquidity and macroprudential measures rather than rate adjustments,” UOB Global Economics & Markets Research said in an outlook report last Friday.

“We continue to view the current pause as temporary rather than the end of the tightening cycle, with further rate hikes still possible later in 2026 if needed to support the rupiah and anchor inflation expectations,” it added.

Just last week, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25bps to 3.75%-4%, its first hike since 2023, as policymakers sought to rein in stubborn inflation.

Singapore will release August inflation data, as indicated by the consumer price index, on Sept 23.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is on a week’s visit to Japan, the US and the UK.

Preliminary September S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for the manufacturing, services and composite sectors are due from the US and the UK on Sept 23, followed by Japan on Sept 24.

Japan will have stock market holidays on Sept 21 (Respect of the Aged Day), 22 (an extra national holiday) and 23 (Autumnal Equinox Day). South Korea’s markets will close on Sept 24 and 25 for Chuseok.

It will be a relatively quiet week in China as a stock market holiday on Sept 25 marks the Mid-Autumn Festival, and likewise for Hong Kong and Taiwan.

On Sept 21, China will fix its latest loan prime rate (LPR). A Bloomberg poll anticipates that the one-year and five-year LPR will stay unchanged at 3% and 3.5% respectively. The LPR is a lending reference rate set monthly by a panel of 20 commercial banks. Most new and outstanding loans in China are based on the one-year LPR, whereas the five-year rate influences the pricing of mortgages.

Over in the US, the 81st UN General Assembly, which opened on Sept 8, will have its most important event — the high-level general debate, which will start on Sept 22 and conclude on Sept 28.

The US has a slew of macroeconomic data out this week, including the latest MBA mortgage applications (Sept 23), second-quarter current account balance (Sept 24), August new home sales (Sept 24), building permits (Sept 24) and August preliminary durable goods orders (Sept 25).

There will be news developments in Germany following state elections that were to be held in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Sept 20. The elections take place two weeks after the far-right AfD party stunned the coalition government by winning 43.8% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt state election.

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.