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THE ringgit opened firmer on Wednesday, buoyed by a softer US dollar amid weaker American economic data and a modest improvement in global risk appetite.
At 8am, the local currency strengthened to 3.8895/9000 against the US dollar, compared with Tuesday’s close of 3.8915/8980.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the US Dollar Index nevertheless edged up 0.17 per cent to 97.874 points, supported by hawkish remarks from the Federal Reserve and signs of resilience in certain segments of the US economy.
“The US dollar-ringgit pair briefly traded above RM3.90 before closing at RM3.8948, down 0.11 per cent from the previous session.
“As such, the ringgit is likely to trade sideways today, hovering between RM3.89 and RM3.90,” he told Bernama.
Despite the uptick in the dollar index, the ringgit strengthened against a basket of major currencies at the opening bell.
It edged up against the Japanese yen to 2.4944/5014 from 2.4968/5011 at Tuesday’s close, gained against the British pound to 5.2489/2631 from 5.2531/2619, and appreciated versus the euro to 4.5799/5923 from 4.5873/5950.
The local unit also traded mostly firmer against its regional counterparts.
It rose against the Singapore dollar to 3.0699/0786 from 3.0726/0780, strengthened versus the Thai baht to 12.5060/5495 from 12.5463/5726, was marginally higher against the Indonesian rupiah at 231.1/231.8 from 231.2/231.7, and inched up against the Philippine peso to 6.73/6.75 from 6.74/6.75 previously. - February 25, 2026