Ringgit opens slightly lower vs US dollar after hawkish FOMC outcome

The ringgit opened at 4.0855/0910 against the US dollar on Thursday, following a hawkish decision from the United States Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting the previous night. This follows a 25 basis point rate hike by the Fed, bringing its benchmark interest rate to a target range of 3.75% to 4.00%, marking its first increase since 2023.

The news of the rate hike was met with a high level of hawkishness, indicating the Fed's commitment to tightening monetary policy to achieve price stability. Fed chair's remarks during the press conference emphasized that a more restrictive monetary policy is anticipated, signaling their seriousness in meeting the dual mandate of price stability.

As a result, the US dollar strengthened, with the US dollar index (DXY) hovering around 100.322 points. The two- and ten-year US Treasury yields also rose, with the 2-year yield increasing to 4.74% and the 10-year yield to 5.02%. Consequently, the ringgit is expected to trade at a lower rate against the US dollar, possibly ranging between 4.08 and 4.10.

At the opening, the ringgit was higher against a basket of major currencies, including the euro, Japanese yen, and British pound. However, it traded mixed against its ASEAN peers, with the ringgit appreciating against the Singapore dollar, Thai baht, and marginally decreasing against the Indonesian rupiah and Philippine peso.