Shutdown over, is volatility just beginning?
Forty days of political gridlock in Washington finally ended and markets barely blinked. But that doesn’t mean the dust has settled. Investors are still parsing through the fallout, trying to read the Fed without fresh data, and wondering if the AI rally is turning from brilliance to burnout.
In this week’s Market Focus Weekly from The Business Times, Emily Liu talks to Wee Khoon Chong, Asia-Pacific macro strategist at BNY, about what the latest twists mean for investors trying to stay one step ahead.
Why listen
- Markets flying blind: The longest US government shutdown on record has left the Fed and investors guessing. Chong breaks down what missing data means for the next rate call.
- AI: still gold or getting frothy? Are valuations overheating, or is this the early phase of something transformational? Get a grounded take on the hype cycle.
- Japan’s new playbook: Prime Minister Takaichi’s multi-year budget plan is bold and risky. Find out why it’s sending bond yields up and the yen down.
- Ringgit revival: Malaysia’s currency is having a quiet comeback, powered by political stability, FDIs, and a thriving data-centre boom in Johor.
From Tokyo’s fiscal flex to the ringgit’s steady climb, this episode lays out the global shifts that actually matter this week. It is the briefing you want before markets open on Monday and start potentially misbehaving again. Listen now.
Subscribe and listen to more episodes of Market Focus Weekly from The Business Times. Feedback and questions can be sent to btpodcasts@sph.com.sg.
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Written and hosted by: Emily Liu (emilyliu@sph.com.sg)
With Wee Khoon Chong, Asia-Pacific macro strategist, BNY
Edited by: Chai Pei Chieh & Claressa Monteiro
Produced by: Emily Liu & Chai Pei Chieh
A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media
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