KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — The ringgit closed lower today, once again touching the 4.5 mark against the US dollar due to increased demand for the greenback on the expectation of further interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve (US Fed) and as the Chinese yuan weakens, analysts said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Malaysia’s retail trade is expected to grow by 17.6 per cent this year, supported by improving macro outlook and fundamentals, said MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd Research (MIDF Research).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Malaysia’s wholesale and retail trade value hit RM130.7 billion in July 2022, registering 41 per cent growth year-on-year (y-o-y) due to an increase in the retail trade sub-sector, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Malaysia's palm oil stocks at the end of August climbed to their highest in 33 months, as output rose with peak production season getting underway, palm oil board data showed on Monday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — The ringgit had eased against the US dollar in the early morning trade today as sentiments continued to favour the greenback.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — The ringgit is likely to trade with an upward bias next week against the US dollar as the greenback is retreating in global markets, said an economist.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The ringgit ended higher against the US dollar on Friday as sentiment improved thanks to Malaysia’s manufacturing sales value which grew by 23.8 per cent to RM148.4 billion in July and a stronger Industrial Production Index (IPI) data, said a dealer.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — MIDF Research continues to see Malaysia’s unemployment rate declining to 3.8 per cent in 2022 from 4.6 per cent in 2021.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The Malaysian labour market continues to strengthen, recording 3.7 per cent in July 2022, nearing pre-pandemic levels according to the publication of the Labour Force Statistics.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The Industrial Production Index (IPI) increased 12.5 per cent in July 2022 compared to a year earlier, marking the second consecutive month of double-digit growth.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Malaysia’s manufacturing sales value in July 2022 grew by 23.8 per cent to RM148.4 billion, driven by among others; the electrical and electronics (E&E) products subsector, petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastics products subsector, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The ringgit opened marginally higher against the US dollar this morning amid cautious market sentiment due to the development in the United States’ interest rate and global crude oil prices.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The 25 basis points (bps) hike in the overnight policy rate (OPR) announced by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today to 2.50 per cent in its fifth Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of 2022 is widely expected amid continued improvements in the domestic economy.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has increased the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 2.50 per cent at its fifth Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting today.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The Building Materials Cost Index (BCI), without steel bars and with steel bars, for all building categories in Malaysia, increased between 0.2 and 22.0 per cent in August 2022 compared to a year ago, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Malaysia’s franchise industry is expected to see its sales value increase to RM22.66 billion by 2025 from RM14.65 billion in 2020, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Palm oil planters are letting thousands of tonnes of fruits rot as the third year of a worker shortage has left companies unable to increase their harvesting during the peak production season.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The ringgit rebounded from its loss yesterday to open slightly higher against the US dollar this morning, as cheaper prices due to recent losses prompted investors to return to emerging currencies, including the ringgit.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Data and broadband consumption in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) will thrive, while further consolidation will temper competition over the next few years, propelling revenue at an annual rate of between 4.0 per cent and 4.5 per cent through 2023, according to Moody's Investors Service.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — The ringgit ended at the lowest level in 24 years against the US dollar today amid deepening global economic uncertainty and rising US Treasury yields that spurred investors to flock to the greenback, trouncing the world’s currencies in the process, including the ringgit.