{
  "id": 15685616,
  "title": "Local unit strengthens despite firmer US dollar, aided by softer inflation outlook",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/local-unit-strengthens-despite-firmer-us-dollar-aided-by-softer",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-20T01:27:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2026/10/20/local-unit-strengthens-despite-firmer-us-dollar-aided-by-softer-inflation-outlook/239807"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 20, the Malaysian ringgit opened higher against major currencies, buoyed by a softer domestic inflation outlook and expectations of a potential normalisation of the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR). The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported that inflation declined to 1.8% in September 2026 from 1.9% in August. Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, chief economist at Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd, forecasted the ringgit to trade within a range of RM4.07 to RM4.08 against the US dollar. He noted that investors are closely watching geopolitical risks in West Asia following Iran’s navy’s reported attack on the US military base at Konarak. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, increased by 0.15% to 101.989 points. The ringgit demonstrated strength against the Japanese yen, British pound, Indonesian rupiah, Philippine peso, and Singapore dollar, while weakening slightly against the euro and Thai baht.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — The ringgit opened mostly higher against major currencies on Tuesday despite a stronger US...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}