Kuala lumpur: The ringgit ended easier against the US dollar amid cautious sentiment in the currency market, said an analyst. At 6 pm, the local note was pegged at 4.2140/2195 versus the greenback, slightly lower than Tuesday’s closing rate of 4.2125/2155.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr. Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid stated that the US dollar/ringgit traded within a narrow range of RM4.21 to RM4.22. This cautious trading behavior was attributed to traders and investors remaining wary about the state of the US economy, with the ongoing government shutdown still in place.

Dr. Mohd Afzanizam remarked that the tabling of Budget 2026 this Friday could potentially influence the future trend of the ringgit. “Should the government remain committed to maintaining fiscal discipline, it could lead to further appreciation of the ringgit. For now, there is a wait-and-see attitude amid the external uncertainties,” he explained.

At the close of the trading day, the ringgit showed improvement against a basket of major currencies. It appreciated against the euro, rising to 4.8941/9005 from the previous day’s 4.9135/9170. Similarly, it strengthened vis-a-vis the Japanese yen to 2.7559/7596 from 2.7938/7960 and gained against the British pound, moving to 5.6501/6575 from 5.6620/6661 previously.

The ringgit also demonstrated strength against most ASEAN currencies. It advanced versus the Thai baht to 12.9506/9739 from 12.9532/9688, gained against the Singapore dollar to 3.2503/2548 from 3.2587/2613, and edged up vis-a-vis the Indonesian rupiah to 254.2/254.7 from 254.3/254.6. However, the ringgit fell against the Philippine peso, closing at 7.27/7.28 compared to 7.25/7.26 on Tuesday.