{
  "id": 15681874,
  "title": "Ringgit opens higher as inflation eases, OPR normalisation in focus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/ringgit-opens-higher-as-inflation-eases-opr-normalisation-in-focus-15681874",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-20T00:43:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2026/10/20/ringgit-opens-higher-as-inflation-eases-opr-normalisation-in-focus"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At 8am on Tuesday, the Malaysian ringgit opened higher against the US dollar, bolstered by declining domestic inflation and speculation of a possible normalization of the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR). The ringgit strengthened to 4.0780/4.0850 against the US dollar, contrasting yesterday's close of 4.0805/4.0845. The country's department of statistics Malaysia (DOSM) revealed that inflation decelerated to 1.8% in September 2026, down from 1.9% in August. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist, Afzanizam Rashid, predicted the ringgit to fluctuate between RM4.07 and RM4.08 against the US dollar throughout the day. Rashid highlighted that investors are also keeping a close eye on geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following Iran's military report of a US attack on the Konarak naval base. Rashid noted that they are currently in a blackout period, during which US Federal Reserve officials will refrain from commenting publicly prior to the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. The US Dollar Index (DXY), indicating the greenback's strength against a basket of key currencies, climbed 0.15 per cent to 101.989 points. Throughout the trading session, the ringgit displayed strong performance against various major currencies, including the Japanese yen, British pound, euro, Indonesian rupiah, Philippine peso, Singapore dollar, and Thai baht.",
  "summary": "At 8am, the ringgit strengthened to 4.0780/4.0850 against the US dollar.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Ringgit opens higher as inflation eases, OPR normalisation in focus",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/ringgit-opens-higher-as-inflation-eases-opr-normalisation-in-focus-15683002",
        "published": "2026-10-20T00:43:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Ringgit opens higher as inflation eases, OPR normalisation in focus",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/ringgit-opens-higher-as-inflation-eases-opr-normalisation-in-focus",
        "published": "2026-10-20T00:45:28.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}