THE ringgit inched higher against the United States dollar at Monday’s close, buoyed by stronger-than-expected economic growth in the final quarter of 2025, while its performance against other ASEAN currencies remained uneven.
At 6pm, the local currency was quoted at 4.0520/4.0570 against the greenback, improving slightly from last Friday’s 4.0555/4.0605.
The advance gross domestic product data revealed that Malaysia’s economy expanded by 5.7 per cent in the fourth quarter, signalling robust resilience.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid observed that the firm growth outlook had encouraged market participants to adopt a more positive stance on the ringgit.
“This is particularly as Bank Negara Malaysia’s Monetary Policy Committee decision on Thursday will be closely watched,” he told Bernama.
On the international front, the US dollar index, while remaining elevated, eased by 0.20 per cent to 99.199 points.
Mohd Afzanizam added that markets continued to express unease over the economic policies of the Donald Trump administration, particularly the ongoing use of import tariffs to achieve policy objectives.
Against major currencies, the ringgit recorded a mixed performance. It weakened against the Japanese yen, falling to 2.5657/2.5692 from Friday’s 2.5637/2.5670, and dipped versus the euro to 4.7100/4.7159 from 4.7076/4.7134.
Conversely, it made slight gains against the British pound, rising to 5.4321/5.4388 from 5.4332/5.4399.
Within the ASEAN region, the ringgit’s trajectory was similarly varied. It lost ground against the Singapore dollar, retreating to 3.1521/3.1562 from 3.1479/3.1521, and weakened versus the Thai baht, slipping to 12.9623/12.9845 from 12.9115/12.9332.
The local currency, however, strengthened against the Indonesian rupiah, climbing to 239.0/239.3 from 240.1/240.5, and edged higher against the Philippine peso to 6.81/6.82 from 6.83/6.84. - January 20, 2026
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