Ringgit ends week stronger despite higher US Treasury yields

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian ringgit closed the week on a positive note against the US dollar, despite soaring US Treasury yields. This boost in the local currency was attributed to increasing Malaysian yields and investor apprehension about the US government's possible bond-market intervention, which could weaken the dollar. Stephen Innes, a Quintex Intel global strategist, expressed concern, stating that attempts to control long-term US yields could resemble financial repression, historically detrimental to the greenback.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Afzanizam Abdul Rashid suggested that the US government should concentrate on income generation and expenditure reduction to curb the growth of US government debt, which recently surpassed US$40 trillion for the first time. He emphasized that a buyback program would merely buy time, as markets would ultimately revisit the US fiscal situation to gauge their judgment.

By 6 pm, the ringgit had risen to 4.0365/4.0405 against the US dollar, up from yesterday's closing rate of 4.0425/4.0470. By the close of the trading day, the ringgit performed even better against a range of major currencies, including the Japanese yen, British pound, and euro. The local currency showed mixed performance against regional currencies, strengthening against the Singapore dollar and the Philippine peso, while weakening relative to the Indonesian rupiah and the Thai baht.