KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Economists are forecasting Malaysia’s headline inflation for 2024 to be between 2.5 per cent and 3.3 per cent.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 23 — The number of unemployed persons dropped to 580,700 in 2023, the lowest since the pandemic, while the unemployment rate stood at 3.4 per cent, according to the Labour Market Review, Fourth Quarter 2023, released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — RHB Investment Bank (RHB IB) said Malaysia's leading gross domestic product (GDP) index has shown evidence of a marked recovery for the first quarter (1Q) of 2024.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Malaysia’s headline inflation remained at 1.5 per cent in January 2024 with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) at 131.4 points against 129.5 a year earlier, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Malaysia’s economic growth is expected to show a better performance in the second quarter of 2024 (2Q 2024), according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — The ringgit opened lower against the US dollar as the greenback stayed firm amid resilient United States (US) economic data, said an economist.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — MIDF Research is expecting the ringgit to strengthen later this year when the US Federal Reserve (Fed) shifts its policy stance to be less hawkish or slightly more dovish.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar as traders digest the United States (US) Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes released last night, said an economist.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — The ringgit ended slightly higher against the US dollar on Wednesday, although the greenback had strengthened as investors focused on the upcoming release of the US Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) meeting minutes, an economist said.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 21 — Raising the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) to strengthen the ringgit is not a good move presently, given its impact on the people, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — The manufacturing industry operated at 79.8 per cent capacity in the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q 2023), edged down by 0.4 percentage points from a rate of 80.2 per cent in 4Q 2022, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) unexpectedly cutting its key borrowing rate more than what the market anticipated drove major regional currencies, including the ringgit, to trade lower against the US Dollar, mirroring the trend of the Chinese renminbi.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — MIDF Research expects Malaysia’s external trade to likely recover in 2024, backed by a turnaround in electrical and electronics (E&E) trade.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Bank Negara Malaysia believes the ringgit's current level does not reflect the Malaysian economy's positive prospects going forward, said its governor Datuk Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — The ringgit traded marginally lower against the US dollar at the opening today on a cautious tone ahead of the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes’ publication this week, said an economist.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — The ringgit ended lower against the US dollar on Monday on lack of buying demand, amid cautious trading ahead of the release of the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes this week, said an economist.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 19 — Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan expects the ringgit to strengthen against the US dollar this year as the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has signalled the end of interest rate hikes after raising the benchmark interest rates 11 times since March 2022 to the current rate of 5.25-5.50 per cent.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 19 — This year will be about executing the Madani Economy framework and all the policies that the government put out last year, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 19 — Most Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei are part of the skilled or semi-skilled workforce, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — Malaysia’s economy is expected to maintain its growth trajectory this year at a faster rate of between 4.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent, according to investment banks.