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THE ringgit opened marginally stronger against the US dollar this morning, buoyed by sustained confidence in Malaysia’s economic fundamentals despite a firmer greenback following upbeat United States labour data.
At 8am, the local currency stood at 3.9100/9230 against the US dollar, compared with Wednesday’s close of 3.9110/9170.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said encouraging domestic economic indicators and continued investor confidence in Malaysia’s macroeconomic trajectory were underpinning demand for the ringgit.
“Strong data points for the Malaysian economy would also keep interest intact in the ringgit. As such, expect the US dollar-ringgit pair to oscillate within a range of RM3.91 to RM3.93 today,” he told Bernama.
However, he noted that stronger-than-expected US labour market data had lifted the US Dollar Index (DXY) by 0.13 per cent to 96.920 points, signalling the resilience of the American economy.
“Therefore, the US Federal Reserve would be inclined to keep the interest rate steady as the inflation rate is likely to stay above the two per cent target.
“As such, traders might be tempted to take some profit due to the US Non-farm Payroll (NFP) releases,” he said.
Mohd Afzanizam said US Non-Farm Payrolls rose to 130,000 in January, well above consensus estimates of 66,000. The US unemployment rate eased to 4.3 per cent from 4.4 per cent, while the labour force participation rate edged up to 62.5 per cent from 62.4 per cent.
In early trading, the ringgit strengthened against a basket of major currencies. It improved against the Japanese yen to 2.5514/5600 from 2.5527/5566 at Wednesday’s close, appreciated against the British pound to 5.3266/3443 from 5.3561/3643, and advanced versus the euro to 4.6431/6586 from 4.6611/6683.
The local currency also traded higher against most regional peers. It rose against the Indonesian rupiah to 232.9/233.7 from 233.0/233.4, strengthened against the Thai baht to 12.5728/6227 from 12.5808/6062, and edged up against the Singapore dollar to 3.0980/1086 from 3.0990/1040.
It was little changed against the Philippine peso, opening at 6.71/6.73 compared with 6.71/6.72 previously. - February 12, 2026