KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — The sales value of the manufacturing sector returned to positive as it recorded a growth of 3.2 per cent, reaching RM152.7 billion in January 2024, according to the Statistics Department (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — AmBank Economic Research is forecasting the ringgit to appreciate further to around RM4.50 by the year-end against the US dollar due to a combination of factors.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — The ringgit is expected to continue its uptrend against the US dollar next week, supported by improving sentiment amid an encouraging domestic environment, said Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — The ringgit extended its uptrend to end the week firmer against the US dollar today, lifted by improved sentiments amid hopes for easier global monetary policies this year.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — Malaysia’s labour market maintained an improving trend as the unemployment rate was kept at a post-pandemic low of 3.3 per cent in January 2024, with the labour force and employment growing steadily by 1.8 per cent and two per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) respectively.

PUTRAJAYA, March 8 — Malaysia’s unemployment rate remained at 3.3 per cent in January 2024, with the number of unemployed persons declining from 567,800 in December to 567,300, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — The ringgit is in a good position to strengthen this year, supported by the upbeat domestic economy and externally, the narrative of re-adjustment of the United States (US) interest rate propping the ringgit's valuation, said analysts.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — The ringgit continued to strengthen against the US dollar today after the US Dollar Index (DXY) retreated in anticipation of easier monetary policy in the United States (US) this year.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Peru aims to position itself as a halal food products exporter after obtaining Malaysia's halal certification this year.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The government is expected to collect RM3.45 billion in additional revenue from expanding the service tax's scope and increasing the service tax from six per cent to eight per cent, said the Finance Ministry.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is increasing engagement efforts and monitoring the conversion of export proceeds into ringgit by exporting companies in its efforts to strengthen the the local currency's value.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The ringgit rebounded to end marginally higher against the greenback today as the US Dollar Index (DXY) retreated amid cautious sentiment in the United States (US).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The Malaysian economy is projected to grow by four per cent to five per cent this year, supported by robust domestic demand and an improvement in the external sector, said BNM governor Datuk Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is fully committed to ensuring the ringgit's stability in light of the government and the central bank's coordinated efforts to sustainably increase inflows into the foreign exchange (forex) market.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The inflation rate is expected to rise marginally in 2024 but is manageable with the cooperation of industry players, traders, and consumers, according to the Economy Ministry.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The Plantation and Commodities Ministry (KPK) believes standardising commodity prices in the market is impractical to implement as it involves high costs for the government and is feared to affect a market's efficiency.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — The ringgit ended lower against the US dollar today on mild profit-taking following recent gains and investor disappointment with China’s macroeconomic targets set during its National People’s Congress (NPC).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — The Malaysian palm oil market is expected to remain positive in 2024, with strong demand from top export destinations like India with 17.4 per cent of the share, China (9.1 per cent), and the European Union (7.4 per cent), said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Improvement the sales and service tax (SST) is an immediate step which enabled the government to focus on existing approaches to increase revenue and Malaysia's fiscal position, while simultaneously not burdening the people, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar and other major currencies on Monday, in anticipation of Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) decision on the overnight policy rate (OPR) on March 7.