The ringgit started trading this morning on a positive note, strengthening against the US dollar ahead of the release of preliminary estimates of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2025.
At 8am, the ringgit was trading at 4.0570 against the US dollar, up 0.12% since it opened early Friday in the Asian session
Analysts expect Malaysia's economic growth to remain strong, with preliminary estimates of GDP projected at around 5.4 percent.
According to Bank Muamalat Malaysia Chief Economist Dr Afzanizam, strong growth figures could reduce the need for Bank Negara to cut interest rates this year, which is a factor that can support the ringgit.
On Thursday, the ringgit weakened slightly as the US dollar strengthened following better-than-expected US jobless claims data, thus reducing expectations of a Fed rate cut.
In this morning's trade, the ringgit also strengthened against the yen, euro, pound sterling, Singapore dollar and Thai baht, while its movement was almost flat against the Philippine peso and Indonesian rupiah.
Analysts expect the ringgit to continue trading in a range of around RM4.05 to RM4.06 today, depending on the market reaction to the upcoming GDP data.
