U.S.-China trade talks end without extension of tariff truce, as Trump weighs options<\/p>\n
A potential extension of a\u00a0tariff pause<\/a>\u00a0between the United States and\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0will not be agreed to until President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0signs off on the plan, U.S. negotiators said Tuesday.<\/p>\n Trump “has final say on all the trade deals” and the pending tariff truce, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s Eamon Javers.<\/p>\n The remarks came after top trade officials for the two countries concluded talks in Stockholm, Sweden, their third round of high-level discussions since May.<\/p>\n “We’re going to head back to Washington, D.C. We’re going to talk to the president about whether that’s something that he wants so do,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters following the talks.<\/p>\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Kevin Breuninger<\/p>\n Singapore holds monetary policy, flags slowdown in second half of the year<\/p>\n Singapore’s central bank warned that the city-state’s economy is “projected to moderate in the second half of 2025 from its strong pace in [the first half],” as it kept its monetary policy unchanged.<\/p>\n The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it would hold the width and level at which its policy band is centered amid trade concerns from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n “In particular, the trade-related sectors should see some pullback,” the central bank said in its monetary policy statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n “Prospects for the Singapore economy remain subject to significant uncertainty, especially in 2026. Changes in effective tariff rates worldwide could impact the performance of Singapore’s externally-oriented sectors,” MAS added.<\/p>\n Financial volatility and geopolitical shocks could deepen the impact of the global slowdown and add pressure on Singapore’s growth outlook, MAS said.<\/p>\n Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lim Hui Jie<\/p>\n Asia-Pacific markets open mixed as U.S.-China trade truce hangs in a limbo <\/p>\n Asia markets started the trading day mixed.<\/p>\n Japan’s benchmark\u00a0Nikkei 225<\/a>\u00a0was flat at the open, while the Topix inched higher 0.1%.<\/p>\n South Korea’s\u00a0Kospi<\/a>\u00a0gained 0.48%, and the small-cap Kosdaq rose 0.42%.<\/p>\n Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0lost 0.19%.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lee Ying Shan<\/p>\n Opening calls<\/p>\n Happy mid-week from Singapore. Asia markets are poised for a lower open.<\/p>\n Futures for Hong Kong’s\u00a0Hang Seng Index<\/a>\u00a0stood at 25,344, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI’s last close of 25,524.45<\/p>\n Similarly, Australia’s\u00a0S&P\/ASX 200<\/a>\u00a0was set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,662, compared with its last close of 8,704.6.<\/p>\n