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THE ringgit opened slightly firmer on Friday, buoyed by a pullback in United States Treasury yields and early Asian session positioning, even as the US dollar index closed marginally higher overnight.
At 8am, the local currency strengthened to 3.8800/8930 against the greenback, compared with Thursday’s close of 3.8865/8925.
Mohd Sedek Jantan, director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, said the dollar had found mild support from a somewhat firmer US labour market reading, though softer yields reduced its immediate upside.
Weekly US initial jobless claims came in at 212,000, below consensus estimates of 217,000 but slightly higher than the previous week’s 208,000.
“The softer US yield backdrop reduced immediate support for the dollar, allowing selective Asian currencies, including the ringgit, to open on a firmer footing,” he said.
Echoing that view, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the dollar index (DXY) edged up 0.09 per cent to 97.791 points, while Brent crude stabilised at around US$70.75 per barrel amid ongoing talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“The US-Iran talks are seen to be progressing, but sceptics remain, as there is no clear evidence that either side is willing to concede enough to avoid military conflict.
“We sense the traders may have become cautious as the good news has already been priced in,” he said.
He expects the US dollar-ringgit pair to trade within a narrow range for the remainder of the day.
In early dealings, the ringgit also advanced against a basket of major currencies. It strengthened against the Japanese yen to 2.4893/4978 from 2.4902/4942 at Thursday’s close, rose against sterling to 5.2345/2520 from 5.2573/2654, and edged up versus the euro to 4.5796/5949 from 4.5853/5924.
The currency likewise firmed against its ASEAN peers. It improved against the Singapore dollar to 3.0701/0809 from 3.0755/0805, climbed versus the Thai baht to 12.4759/5269 from 12.5169/5435, strengthened against the Indonesian rupiah to 231.5/232.3 from 231.9/232.3, and gained against the Philippine peso to 6.73/6.76 from 6.74/6.76 previously. - February 27, 2026