The ringgit opened slightly lower against the US dollar early this morning, but traded higher against other major currencies.
At 10:06 am, the ringgit opened at 4.0580, down 0.07% against the US dollar since opening early Wednesday in the Asian session.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid explained that the US Dollar Index (DXY) rose 0.29% to 99.152 points as the escalating protest tensions continued to draw attention from the administration of United States President (US), Donald Trump.
He also stated that the development gave a clear signal that US intervention was likely to occur.
Meanwhile, macroeconomic data in the US showed that the headline inflation rate in December remained at 2.7%, while the core inflation rate remained moderate at 2.6%.
However, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate steady at the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting later this month, as inflation remains well above its 2.0% target.
At the open, the ringgit traded higher against other major currencies.
It rose against the Japanese yen to 2.5499/5551 from 2.5521/5551 yesterday, rose against the British pound to 5.4506/4613 from 5.4676/4737 and strengthened against the euro to 4.7267/7360 from 4.7344/7396 previously.
The ringgit was also traded mixed against ASEAN currencies.
It rose against the Singapore dollar to 3.1495/1562 from 3.1511/1549 yesterday and gained against the Thai baht to 12.8697/9008 from 12.8840/12.9036.
However, it depreciated against the Indonesian rupiah to 240.5/241.1 from 240.3/240.6 and declined against the Philippine peso to 6.84/6.86 from 6.83/6.84 previously.
