Kuala lumpur: The ringgit eased against the US dollar in the early session, tracking other major currencies, as the domestic unit is likely to stay cautious amid lingering West Asia tensions that further disrupt global oil and gas flows. At 8 am, the local currency stood at 4.0855/0920 versus the greenback, compared with 4.0850/0890 at yesterday's close. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid highlighted concerns over how the current geopolitical situation might influence inflation and the US Federal Open Market Committee's forthcoming decisions on interest rates. 'The odds for a September hike have risen to 64.8 per cent compared to 51.5 per cent in early July. Hence, it is going to be dollar-positive in the near term,' he told Bernama. SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes remarked on the resilience of the local note despite a generally stronger dollar, suggesting a complex trade dynamic across global foreign exchange marke ts rather than a straightforward dollar trend. He noted that Malaysia's improving terms of trade and its status as an energy exporter have offered some protection amid rising oil prices. Meanwhile, the ringgit opened marginally lower against a basket of major currencies today. It appreciated against the Japanese yen to 2.5051/5092 from 2.5057/5081 at Wednesday's close, depreciated against the euro to 4.6624/6698 from 4.6585/6631, and eased versus the British pound to 5.4648/4735 from 5.4612/4666 previously. The local currency also showed mixed performance against regional currencies. It was lower against the Singapore dollar to 3.1646/1699 from 3.1635/1668 at yesterday's close and edged down versus the Thai baht to 12.0924/1173 from 12.0787/0944. The ringgit remained stable against the Indonesian rupiah at 228.0/228.4 compared with 228.0/228.3 at yesterday's close and was also unchanged against the Philippine peso at 6.61/6.63 from 6.61/6.62.