THE ringgit opened marginally higher against the US dollar today, supported by renewed uncertainties surrounding the ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China, according to an analyst
At 8am, the local currency inched up to 4.2240/2340 against the greenback, improving slightly from Wednesday’s close of 4.2280/2325.
Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, chief economist at Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd, noted that the US dollar index (DXY) dipped 0.04% to 98.897 points as fresh doubts surfaced over the US-China trade relationship, with reports suggesting the White House is considering restrictions on key software exports.
“At the same time, the US administration under President Donald Trump has announced sanctions on Russia’s largest oil producers due to the Russian government’s failure to commit to ending the war in Ukraine. On that note, the ringgit is expected to maintain positive momentum today, with the dollar-ringgit likely hovering between 4.21 and 4.22,” he told Bernama.
Despite the slight gain against the US dollar, the ringgit traded mostly lower against other major currencies at the opening. It strengthened modestly against the Japanese yen to 2.7791/7859 from 2.7849/7880 at Wednesday’s close but slipped against the British pound to 5.6386/6520 from 5.6309/6368 and eased slightly against the euro to 4.9024/9140 from 4.9019/9072.
Against ASEAN neighbours, the ringgit showed mixed performance. It edged higher against the Singapore dollar to 3.2540/2619 from 3.2556/2593 and firmed slightly versus the Indonesian rupiah to 254.6/255.4 from 254.9/255.3. However, it weakened against the Thai baht to 12.8647/9050 from 12.8573/8769 and remained steady against the Philippine peso at 7.23/7.25. - October 23, 2025
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