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THE ringgit ended a seven-session winning streak against the US dollar as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of Malaysia’s first-quarter 2026 gross domestic product data due later today, despite firmer trading against several major currencies.
The local currency opened marginally weaker against the greenback at 3.9320/9370 compared with Thursday’s close of 3.9300/9330, amid expectations that the upcoming economic data could influence market sentiment and currency movements.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said market attention was firmly centred on Malaysia’s first-quarter GDP announcement, with economists broadly forecasting growth of 5.3 per cent.
“As such, traders are expected to trade the ringgit cautiously,” he told Bernama amid expectations that the data could boost the local currency.
He added that the US Dollar Index rose 0.36 per cent to 98.874 points following the release of April 2026 United States retail sales data, which suggested American consumer spending remained resilient despite wider economic uncertainty.
Although the ringgit weakened against the US dollar, it recorded gains against other leading global currencies during early trading.
The local note strengthened against the Japanese yen to 2.4823/4856 from 2.4886/4907 at Thursday’s close. It also advanced against the British pound to 5.2646/2712 from 5.3094/3135 and improved against the euro to 4.5855/5913 from 4.6009/6044 previously.
Trading against regional currencies was mixed.
The ringgit appreciated against the Singapore dollar to 3.0798/0842 from 3.0867/0893 and strengthened versus the Thai baht to 12.1171/1392 from 12.1506/1652.
However, it edged lower against the Indonesian rupiah to 224.3/224.7 from 224.1/224.4 and slipped against the Philippine peso to 6.38/6.39 from 6.37/6.38. - May 15, 2026
