Indonesia GDP, US midterm elections, Hong Kong financial summit

Indonesia, including the capital Jakarta, has been wrestling with the health and economic impacts of fires and haze. © Getty Images

Indonesia reports its latest gross domestic product figure as it wrestles with the health and economic impacts of fires and haze, as well as market pressures from a potential MSCI downgrade. The country has also experienced fuel shortages amid the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

The U.S. holds midterm elections that are set to have implications for Asia, as voters across the political spectrum have signaled their opposition to the massive data center projects that have boosted Asian tech suppliers' bottom lines. The outcome might also influence U.S.-China relations: While Republicans and Democrats both support Taipei, if the Democrats take over one or both houses of Congress, they could be more eager to pressure U.S. President Donald Trump into moving ahead with a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan.

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Prominent players in the financial industry and entrepreneurs descend on Hong Kong for a busy week of speeches and networking. Top executives from many of the world's biggest banks and funds are due to attend the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit, which runs roughly in parallel with the city's Fintech Week. Both events come as artificial intelligence poses new risks and opportunities for the sector.

Another event in Hong Kong brings together lawyers, business leaders and policymakers to discuss legal practices and cross-border collaboration. This year's Legal Week will also mark the opening of the first overseas liaison office of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), a Rome-based intergovernmental organization that studies ways to modernize, harmonize and coordinate private law between states.

Americans go to the polls for the 2026 midterm elections to decide whether Democrats or Trump's Republicans will control Congress. If the Democrats win either or both houses of Congress, they are expected to focus on alleged conflicts of interest in critical mineral deals struck by the Trump administration under the banner of building alternative supply chains to China, as well as on trade deals negotiated in the aftermath of the president's "liberation day" tariffs.

Singapore's largest local banks DBS, UOB and OCBC are set to report third quarter earnings results -- starting with UOB on Wednesday and followed by DBS and OCBC on Thursday and Friday, respectively -- as uncertainty mounts over the direction of interest rates. Wealth management has been a driver for the lenders' profitability, although questions abound over whether the trend can be sustained.

Indonesia reports GDP data for the July-September quarter, when there was a sharp increase in natural disasters such as large-scale forest fires and volcanic eruptions, leading to reports of numerous flight delays including to and from Jakarta, raising concerns about economic losses. Capital outflows driven by market uncertainty and the financial environment also remain a cause for concern.

Shanghai hosts an annual import exhibition, where global companies will showcase new products they aim to sell in the Chinese market. Looming in the background will be concerns about sluggish Chinese consumption and widening trade imbalances, with the world's No. 2 economy on track for another surplus exceeding $1 trillion.

Bank Negara Malaysia announces its final interest rate decision of the year, with economists divided over whether it will hold at 2.75% or raise borrowing costs. In July 2025, the central bank cut the rate by 0.25 percentage point from 3% and has kept it at the same rate since. Strong growth supports a possible quarter-point increase, although subdued inflation gives policymakers room to wait until 2027.

New Zealand holds its general election, with neither the ruling National Party nor the leading opposition Labour Party likely to win a simple majority based on current polling. That could mean the Opportunity Party, a centrist group that has rapidly gained support in the run-up to the vote, could play a decisive role in shaping the next government.