THE ringgit opened stronger against the US dollar on Friday, buoyed by improved sentiment across regional currencies, even as the greenback remained firm on the back of strong equity markets in the United States.
At 8.00am, the local unit stood at 4.1865/2100 versus the US dollar, strengthening from Thursday’s close of 4.1945/1995. However, the ringgit eased slightly to 4.2005/2105 by 8.09am.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the ringgit was expected to trade within a range of RM4.19 to RM4.21, as investors may lock in profits following recent gains in the US Dollar Index (DXY).
“The DXY was up 0.49 per cent to 97.348 points, supported by record highs in US equities, while US Treasury yields declined,” he told Bernama.
He noted that the ringgit had weakened by 0.21 per cent to RM4.197 against the dollar on Thursday, remaining below the RM4.20 psychological threshold, although it briefly touched RM4.2013 during midday trade.
Against a basket of major currencies, the ringgit opened on a firmer note.
It strengthened against the Japanese yen to 2.8297/8457 from 2.8484/8520 at the previous close, rose to 5.6744/7062 against the British pound from 5.7238/7306, and appreciated vis-à-vis the euro to 4.9355/9632 from 4.9654/9714.
The local note also gained ground against several ASEAN currencies.
It advanced against the Singapore dollar to 3.2661/2847 from 3.2800/2842, firmed against the Thai baht at 13.1209/2037 from 13.1903/2114, edged higher against the Indonesian rupiah at 253.3/254.8 from 253.7/254.2, and improved against the Philippine peso at 7.33/7.38 compared with 7.35/7.36 previously. - September 19, 2025
