The Bank of Japan held rates steady again, narrowing the window of opportunity to hike before year’s end as it waits for clarity on the impact of tariffs and a political leadership change in Tokyo, the Wall Street Journal reported. In a widely expected move, the central bank maintained its overnight call rate target at 0.5%, extending a pause since its last hike in January. That leaves one more chance to resume tightening this year: at the bank’s final meeting in December. BOJ Gov.

China's factory activity shrank for a seventh month in October, dragged by a drop in new export orders as the boost from months of front-loading to beat U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats finally wore off, Reuters reported. The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.0 in October from 49.8 in September, a six-month low, the National Bureau of Statistics' survey showed on Friday, remaining below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction and missing a forecast of 49.6 in a Reuters poll. Policymakers had banked on producers rushing goods to the U.S.

The Principal Bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), Delhi, has restrained Raheja Developers from creating third-party rights by selling units or land, the Economic Times of India reported. “It is clarified that, insolvency having commenced, we have no doubt that the management of the corporate debtor shall not create any third-party rights in the immovable properties,” the NCLAT said in its order. Earlier, the homebuyers had raised concerns that the assets of the company were being sold and transferred without the instructions of the IRP.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, resuming U.S. soybean purchases and keeping rare earths exports flowing, Reuters reported. Trump's face-to-face talks with Xi in the South Korean city of Busan, their first since 2019, marked the finale of a whirlwind Asia trip on which he also touted trade breakthroughs with South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

Creditors of STARK demand repayment of 130 billion Baht from Vonnarat Tangkaravakoon, as bankruptcy proceedings continue. The Thai Investors Association updates affected shareholders on the ongoing case, The Nation reported. Mr. Vonnarat Tangkaravakoon ("Mr. Vonnarat") is one of the defendants in the case filed in the South Bangkok Civil Court under case number P.1061/2567. The Central Bankruptcy Court issued an order for the absolute preservation of his assets in the bankruptcy case under case number L.9679/2567.

Tasmania’s government-owned ferry operator was on the brink of insolvency during July’s state election, forcing an emergency bailout from the caretaker government, a parliamentary inquiry has heard, PulseTasmania.com reported. TT-Line informed the Liberal government on July 25 that it was facing a liquidity crisis and couldn’t wait until after the election for financial support. The following day, the government provided a guarantee that allowed state lending authority Tascorp to lift the company’s loan limit.

Australian consumer prices surged in the third quarter, scuttling any hope of a further interest rate cut this year, and potentially in 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported. The consumer-price index rose 1.3% from the previous quarter and 3.2% from a year earlier, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. Economists had expected a 3% rise in CPI from the year-ago period. It was the biggest quarterly rise in inflation since early 2023, with soaring electricity costs driving the result. Annual inflation measured in September alone rose 3.5%, the ABS said.

Nine months after its last rate hike, it’s decision time again for the Bank of Japan, the Wall Street Journal reported. On policymakers’ minds: persistent inflation, the worrying impact of U.S. tariffs, and shifts in domestic politics. At a two-day meeting ending Thursday, which comes on the heels of President Trump’s first summit with Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, the central bank will mull rate-hike options and release fresh economic projections.