The ringgit opened slightly lower against the US dollar this morning as investors took a cautious approach ahead of the release of the US (US) NFP employment data this week.
At 9:55am, the ringgit was trading at 3.9240, down 0.08% 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 slightly by 0.05% to 96.865 points, despite the weaker-than-expected US retail sales data.
He also noted that US retail sales data remained unchanged in December 2025 compared to the consensus estimate of 0.4%, reflecting slower consumer sentiment and spending momentum.
Meanwhile, traders will be focusing on the NFP employment data and the unemployment rate with an estimated increase of 70,000 jobs compared to 50,000 in December last year.
Meanwhile, the US unemployment rate is expected to remain stable at 4.4%.
At the open, the ringgit traded mixed against a basket of currencies.
It rose against the euro to 4.6621/6769 from 4.6731/6778 yesterday, rose against the British pound to 5.3465/3635 from 5.3610/3664, but weakened against the Japanese yen to 2.5382/5464 from 2.5264/5292 previously.
The ringgit was also trading higher against ASEAN currencies.
It rose slightly against the Singapore dollar to 3.0989/1090 from 3.0994/1028 and strengthened against the Thai baht to 12.5420/5920 from 12.5866/6051 previously.
It was also unchanged against the Philippine peso at 6.70/6.72 from 6.70/6.71 and steady against the Indonesian rupiah at 233.3/234.1 from 233.3/233.6 yesterday.
