Ringgit ends mostly higher regionally, flat against US dollar

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit closed mostly higher against regional currencies and was little changed against the US dollar on Thursday after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept interest rates unchanged. At 6pm, the local currency was flat at 4.0875/4.0930 against the greenback from Wednesday’s close of 4.0875/4.0915. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the ringgit traded within a narrow range following the FOMC decision overnight.

“The US Federal Reserve kept the federal funds rate unchanged at between 3.50% and 3.75%. However, the decision was not unanimous, with three of the 12 voting members favouring an increase in the benchmark interest rate. “This suggests that the Fed may be leaning towards raising interest rates at its next FOMC meeting on Sept 15 and 16,” he told Bernama.

Afzanizam said the outlook had placed the US dollar in a favourable position. “The Fed appears likely to raise interest rates, while higher crude oil prices could reverse the moderation in US inflation recorded in June during the second half of 2026. “This could explain why the US Dollar Index is currently 0.17% higher at 101.058 points,” he said.

The ringgit traded lower against a basket of major currencies at the close. It eased against the Japanese yen to 2.5029/2.5064 from 2.4982/2.5008, depreciated vis-à-vis the euro to 4.6863/4.6926 from 4.6561/4.6606 and declined versus the British pound to 5.4691/5.4764 from 5.4351/5.4405 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the ringgit traded mostly higher against regional currencies.

It strengthened versus the Thai baht to 12.1637/12.1852 from 12.1971/12.2138, rose against the Indonesian rupiah to 225.7/226.0 from 226.1/226.5 and appreciated vis-à-vis the Philippine peso to 6.64/6.65 from 6.65/6.67 previously. However, the local note weakened against the Singapore dollar to 3.1701/3.1746 from 3.1632/3.1666.