THE ringgit retreated from two consecutive days of gains to open lower against the US dollar today due to the lack of interest in the local currency as market sentiments remain uncertain.

At 9.03am, the ringgit traded at 4.6620/6670 versus the greenback compared with yesterday’s close of 4.6505/6560.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist and social finance head Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the US dollar continues to recover as the Federal Open Market Committee’s latest minutes showed that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) has become cautious in its conduct of monetary policy although it remains steadfast in its fight against inflation.

He said major currencies such as the Japanese yen has been gaining momentum against the US dollar in light of a possible shift in the US monetary policy stance.

The 10-year US Treasury yield continues to slide to around 4.4%, while the odds of the Fed Funds rate cut in May 2024 have gone up slightly to 60% from 57% previously.

“Against such a backdrop, the ringgit is anticipated to perform better in the near term and steady appreciation towards its support level of RM4.5778 can be expected,” he told Bernama.

In the early trade, the ringgit was traded mostly lower versus a basket of major currencies.

It was weaker against the euro at 5.0909/0964 from 5.0895/0955 yesterday, lower vis-a-vis the British pound at 5.8480/8543 from 5.8271/8340, and was almost flat versus the Japanese yen at 3.1447/1485 against 3.1467/1504.

The local note also traded mostly lower against other Asean currencies.

It was marginally lower vis-a-vis the Indonesian rupiah at 301.8/302.4 from 301.1/301.7, fell against the Singapore dollar to 3.4838/4878 from 3.4775/4822 and depreciated versus the Thai baht to 13.2511/2725 from 13.1989/2201 yesterday.

However, the ringgit was flat against the Philippine peso at 8.40/8.41. – Bernama, November 22, 2023.