KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit, along with other emerging market currencies, continued to depreciate against the greenback on Thursday as uncertainties over Trump 2.0 policies and their impact on the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy looms large, an economist said.
At 6 pm, the local note slid to 4.4840/4870 against the US dollar compared with Wednesday’s close of 4.4450/4495. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the"bottom line is about the US interest rate decision, ie, whether the Fed will continue to cut rates in 2025, pause or even raise them.”
"This will depend on whether US policies would be inflationary, which could warrant the Fed to remain open to tightening its grip on monetary stance. Hence, the US dollar looks increasingly constructive, leading to weaker emerging market currencies, including the ringgit,” he told Bernama.It depreciated versus the British pound to 5.6750/6787 from 5.6678/6736 at Wednesday’s close and edged down against the Japanese yen to 2.8720/8741 from 2.8692/8723 but perked up vis-a-vis the euro to 4.