Kuala lumpur: The ringgit ended the week marginally lower against the US dollar as investors remained cautious ahead of the release of key United States labor market data, while expectations over the US Federal Reserve's interest rate path continued to support the greenback, analysts said. At 6 pm, the local currency slightly eased to 4.0885/0930 against the greenback from Thursday's close of 4.0875/0920.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Quintex Intel global strategist Stephen Innes noted that the market is anticipating a balanced US jobs report, with non-farm payrolls expected to increase by around 60,000, despite recent volatility in labor market data. Innes emphasized that even if payroll growth is softer than expected, the market still believes the Fed will maintain its focus on inflation risks. This suggests that while the US dollar could weaken modestly next week, a more sustained decline is unlikely as long as oil prices remain firm.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr. Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid observed that the ringgit traded on firmer footing for most of the day against the US dollar before paring its gains towards the close. He highlighted that regional currencies, particularly the Indonesian rupiah, found support after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto progressed in appointing a new Bank Indonesia governor, following Perry Warjiyo's resignation, which helped improve sentiment across regional markets.

Meanwhile, the local currency traded firmer against a basket of major currencies. It inched up against the Japanese yen to 2.5813/5843 from 2.5892/5922 at Thursday's close, rose against the euro to 4.7132/7184 from 4.7162/7213 the previous day, and gained vis-a-vis the British pound to 5.4949/5010 from 5.4997/5058 previously.

However, the ringgit traded mostly lower against regional currencies. It declined against the Singapore dollar to 3.1911/1949 from 3.1881/1919 the previous day, and dipped versus the Thai baht to 12.3665/3843 from 12.3628/3801 at Thursday's close. Meanwhile, the ringgit was slightly better against the Philippine peso at 6.71/6.72 from 6.72/6.73 the previous day, but slid against the Indonesian rupiah to 228.4/228.7 from 228.0/228.4 previously.