RINGGIT MAINTAINS UPWARD TREND, TRADES FIRMER AGAINST US DOLLAR

By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- The ringgit maintained its upward trend, opening slightly higher against the US dollar as improving sentiment in the Malaysian economy and easing trade tensions supported the local currency.

At 8.32 am, the ringgit strengthened to 4.0930/1040 versus the greenback compared with last Friday’s close of 4.0945/1005. The current level was last seen on April 27, 2021, when the local note closed at 4.0960 versus the US dollar.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the ringgit is, however, expected to trade within a narrow range today following its strong performance last week.

He said the latest US interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve last week was not a unanimous decision, with two policymakers preferring to keep the benchmark interest rate steady due to concerns about inflation.

“This week, we will see more data points on inflation along with the US Nonfarm Payroll (NFP) report for November. Traders and investors are, therefore, expected to remain cautious today,” he told Bernama.

Back home, the Statistics Department Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) data last Friday showed a 6.0 per cent year-on-year expansion in October 2025, driven by a strong 6.5 per cent increase in the manufacturing sector.

The economist said according to the data, export-oriented industries within the manufacturing sector grew 7.2 per cent, up from 4.8 per cent, suggesting that robust external demand has been supporting the Malaysian economy.

In the early session, the ringgit trended higher against a basket of major currencies.

It strengthened versus the British pound to 5.4670/4817 from 5.4789/4869 at last Friday’s close, edged up vis-à-vis the Japanese yen to  2.6246/6318 from 2.6264/6304 and increased against the euro to 4.8007/8136 from 4.8037/8107 previously.

The local note traded mixed against ASEAN currencies.

It climbed versus the Singapore dollar to 3.1677/1765 from 3.1701/1750 at last Friday’s close and inched up against the Indonesian rupiah to 245.8/246.6 from 245.9/246.4.

However, the ringgit was down vis-à-vis the Thai baht to 12.9624/13.0050 from 12.9589/9845 and was almost flat against the Philippine peso at 6.93/6.95 from 6.93/6.94 previously.

-- BERNAMA