{
  "id": 15532507,
  "title": "Ringgit firmer as Malaysia’s Q3 GDP growth beats expectations",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/ringgit-firmer-as-malaysias-q3-gdp-growth-beats-expectations-15532507",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-19T00:36:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2026/10/19/ringgit-firmer-as-malaysia-s-q3-gdp-growth-beats-expectations"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Malaysian ringgit strengthened against the US dollar on Monday as the country's third quarter economic growth exceeded expectations. The economy expanded by 5.3% in Q3 2026, surpassing the previously reported 6% growth in the previous quarter. This positive GDP growth could potentially lead to a normalization of monetary policy, according to Afzanizam Rashid, chief economist at Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd.\n\nAt 8am, the ringgit was trading at 4.0790/4.0855 against the US dollar, marking an improvement from Friday's close of 4.0795/4.0835. The stronger economic performance may encourage traders and investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets such as US Treasury bonds, which could contribute to the ringgit's stability against the US dollar.\n\nMeanwhile, concerns surrounding the valuations of AI-related stocks might prompt investors to turn to US Treasury bonds for safety, further bolstering the US dollar's position. As a result, the ringgit-US dollar exchange rate is expected to fluctuate between RM4.07 and RM4.08 throughout the day.\n\nThe ringgit also showed resilience against other currencies, with a slight improvement against the euro and British pound. However, it experienced a minor decline against the Japanese yen. Against its ASEAN counterparts, the ringgit exhibited an overall upward trend, strengthening against the Indonesian rupiah, Philippine peso, Singapore dollar, and Thai baht.",
  "summary": "The stronger economic growth could reinforce expectations of a potential normalisation of monetary policy, says analyst.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Ringgit firmer as Malaysia’s Q3 GDP growth beats expectations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/ringgit-firmer-as-malaysias-q3-gdp-growth-beats-expectations",
        "published": "2026-10-19T00:36:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Ringgit opens mostly higher as GDP growth beats forecasts",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/ringgit-opens-mostly-higher-as-gdp-growth-beats-forecasts",
        "published": "2026-10-19T01:26:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Ringgit opens mostly higher after Malaysia’s GDP growth beats expectations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/ringgit-opens-mostly-higher-after-malaysias-gdp-growth-beats",
        "published": "2026-10-19T01:54:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}