Ringgit opens mostly firmer after Malaysia's GDP estimate tops expectations
The currency was little changed against the US dollar, while Malaysia reported advance third-quarter growth of 5.3 per cent.
The ringgit gained against most major currencies at the opening on Oct 19, following a stronger-than-expected advance estimate for Malaysia’s third-quarter 2026 economic growth. Its US dollar quote barely moved, standing at 4.0790/0855 at 8am versus 4.0795/0835 at the previous Friday’s close.
Advance figures from the Department of Statistics Malaysia put third-quarter GDP growth at 5.3 per cent, compared with 6.0 per cent in the preceding quarter. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the better-than-expected result could strengthen expectations for a potential normalisation of monetary policy.
Afzanizam told Bernama he expected the ringgit to trade between RM4.07 and RM4.08 against the US dollar on Oct 19.
The euro quote moved to 4.5791/5864 from 4.5911/5956, marking a ringgit gain. Sterling also eased against the Malaysian currency, with the quote at 5.4393/4480 versus 5.4396/4449. The ringgit lost ground to the yen, however, trading at 2.5849/5892 compared with 2.5831/5895.
Regional trading also favoured the ringgit. Quotes against the Indonesian rupiah and Philippine peso stood at 226.2/226.7 and 6.47/6.49, respectively, versus Friday’s 226.3/226.6 and 6.48/6.49. Against the Singapore dollar, the quote improved to 3.1882/1935 from 3.1889/1922, while the Thai baht quote moved to 12.2013/2320 from 12.2101/2268.
