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THE ringgit opened slightly firmer against the US dollar on Thursday, sustaining a modest rally as improving regional risk appetite buoyed emerging Asian currencies and fresh ambiguity surrounding US economic data tempered demand for the greenback.
At 8am, the local unit stood at 4.1475/1590 to the dollar, a shade stronger than Wednesday’s close of 4.1480/1530.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the mild appreciation reflected shifting sentiment in global markets after a surprise delay to a major US economic release.
He noted that the US dollar index had risen 0.65 per cent to 100.202 after the US Bureau of Labour Statistics postponed October’s employment report to 16 December.
“Such a date means the US Federal Reserve is still ‘flying blind’, suggesting it may not cut interest rates when it meets on December 9 and 10, 2025,” he said, adding that minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s October meeting showed policymakers were generally inclined to keep rates unchanged through the end of 2025.
Domestically, Mohd Afzanizam said the ringgit had already demonstrated resilience in the previous trading session, strengthening 0.31 per cent to close at 4.1505 against the US dollar, aided by profit-taking activities on the greenback.
“Given the latest developments, the USD-MYR pair could trade between 4.15 and 4.17 today as participants may seek to lock in short-term gains ahead of upcoming US data releases,” he said.
In early dealings, the ringgit advanced against several major currencies. It strengthened against the yen to 2.6416/6490 from 2.6598/6632, firmed against the euro to 4.7858/7991 from 4.8013/8071, and appreciated against the British pound to 5.4166/4317 from 5.4451/4516.
Performance was mixed against regional Asean peers. The ringgit rose against the Thai baht to 12.7741/8182 from 12.7977/8191 and improved against the Singapore dollar to 3.1755/1845 from 3.1810/1851.
It was largely unchanged at 248.2/249.0 against the Indonesian rupiah, and hovered around 7.04/7.06 versus the Philippine peso, compared with 7.04/7.05 previously. - November 20, 2025