Policymakers voted unanimously to keep the Fed’s benchmark lending rate at between 4.25 per cent and 4.5 per cent, the Fed announced in a statement.

Deputy finance minister Lim Hui Ying said medical insurers must cap annual premium increases at 10 per cent, ensuring the cumulative increase by end-2026 does not exceed 30 per cent.

Financial markets saw a probability of more than 99 per cent on Friday afternoon that the Fed would vote to hold interest rates at their current level of between 4.25 and 4.50 per cent

At its two-day meeting concluding on Friday, the BOJ raised its short-term policy rate from 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent - a level Japan has not seen in 17 years.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that includes working toward developing a national digital asset stockpile.

A pilot program, due to kick off in the first half of this year, will channel at least 100 billion yuan ($13.75 billion) from insurers to long-term stock investment,

Trump had previously threatened a 10% duty on Chinese imports because of the trade, but realigned that with the Feb. 1 deadline.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index was up 1.3% as of the mid-day trading break on Tuesday.

Companies in the tech gauge now trade for about 15 times estimated earnings for the 12 months,

If implemented by the relevant regulators, Trump’s expected policy directives have the potential to push cryptocurrencies into the mainstream,

However, calls for even further policy help came after official figures showed the Chinese economy grew 5 per cent in 2024.

Broadly, the US has recovered to its pre-pandemic growth potential, while the euro area and China have not.