The ringgit opened slightly lower against the US dollar this morning, despite domestic economic data remaining resilient amid rising geopolitical tensions and mixed global signals.
The Department of Statistics reported that the country's Industrial Production Index (IPP) increased 5.9% year-on-year in January 2026, driven by a stronger performance in the manufacturing sector.
At 9:58 am, the ringgit was trading at 3.9230, down 0.08% against the US dollar since opening early Wednesday in the Asian session.
Bank Muamalat Bhd Chief Economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said historical economic data confirmed that economic activity remained resilient.
He also noted that it was still uncertain whether the positive momentum could continue in the coming months due to the geopolitical conflict in Iran.
According to Mohd Afzanizam, some countries are currently struggling with rising oil prices due to concerns over inflationary pressures.
Meanwhile, the ringgit is expected to remain flat against the US dollar today in the range of RM3.9000 to RM3.9500.
At the opening, the ringgit traded higher against a basket of currencies.
It rose against the euro to 4.5519/4.5699 from 4.5668/4.5738 yesterday, surged against the Japanese yen to 2.4796/2.4896 from 2.4796/2.4896 and rose against the British pound to 5.2606/5.2814 previously.
The local currency was also traded mixed against its ASEAN peers.
It rose slightly against the Singapore dollar to 3.0794/3.0910 from 3.0806/3.0855 and was unchanged against the Philippine peso at 6.65/6.68 from 6.65/6.67 yesterday.
It also remained flat against the Indonesian rupiah at 232.4/233.4 from 232.4/232.9 and declined against the Thai baht to 12.4055/12.4659 from 12.3941/12.4205 previously.
