KUALA LUMPUR, October 19 2026, The ringgit opened mostly higher against major and regional currencies on Monday, supported by stronger-than-expected Malaysian economic growth in the third quarter of 2026.
Malaysia’s preliminary Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate showed the economy expanded by 5.3 per cent in the third quarter, following growth of 6.0 per cent in the previous quarter.
At 8 am, the ringgit was little changed against the US dollar at 4.0790/0855, compared with 4.0795/0835 at Friday’s close.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the stronger-than-expected economic performance could reinforce expectations of a possible normalisation of monetary policy.
However, concerns over valuations of artificial intelligence (AI)-related stocks could prompt traders and investors to shift towards safe-haven assets, including US Treasury bonds, potentially supporting the US dollar.
He expected the ringgit-US dollar pair to trade within the RM4.07 to RM4.08 range on Monday.
In early trading, the ringgit strengthened against the euro to 4.5791/5864 from 4.5911/5956 at Friday’s close. It also edged higher against the British pound to 5.4393/4480 from 5.4396/4449.
However, the local currency weakened against the Japanese yen to 2.5849/5892 from 2.5831/5895.
Against regional currencies, the ringgit strengthened against the Philippine peso to 6.47/6.49 from 6.48/6.49 and the Singapore dollar to 3.1882/1935 from 3.1889/1922.
It also gained against the Thai baht to 12.2013/2320 from 12.2101/2268, while trading slightly lower against the Indonesian rupiah at 226.2/226.7 compared with 226.3/226.6 previously.
-AWANI
