Kuala Lumpur:The ringgit ended lower against the US dollar on Monday, influenced by a positive outlook for United States economic data that bolstered the greenback.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, at 6 pm, the ringgit weakened to 4.0695/0735 against the US dollar from last Friday's close of 4.0555/0600. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd's chief economist, Dr. Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, noted that the upcoming release of the October US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) is expected to show an increase to 65,000 from the previous month's 29,000, while the unemployment rate is projected to remain at 4.2 percent.

He further explained that positive economic data could lead the Federal Reserve to resume its rate tightening cycle during its December meeting, with a 71.1 percent probability of a Fed Fund Rate hike compared to 78.9 percent a month ago. This potential for rate tightening is seen as favorable for the US dollar.

Dr. Mohd Afzanizam also mentioned that other regional currencies were generally weaker against the US dollar as concerns grew over the possibility of renewed conflict with Iran following the US mid-term elections. The US dollar-ringgit exchange rate rose progressively from RM4.057 in the early morning to RM4.072 by the afternoon. Similarly, the Thai baht, Indonesian rupiah, and Japanese yen experienced declines of 0.24 percent, 0.13 percent, and 0.06 percent, respectively.

In comparison to major currencies, the ringgit mostly traded lower. It declined against the British pound to 5.4621/4675 from 5.4461/4522, weakened against the euro to 4.5652/5697 from 4.5413/5464, but slightly increased against the yen to 2.5766/5793 from 2.5782/5812.

The ringgit also fell against its ASEAN counterparts. It depreciated against the Singapore dollar to 3.1825/1862 from 3.1753/1791, slipped against the Thai baht to 12.0496/0661 from 12.0373/0561, edged down against the Indonesian rupiah to 224.1/224.4 from 223.4/223.8, and slightly decreased against the Philippine peso to 6.39/6.41 from 6.36/6.37.