Kuala lumpur: The ringgit held steady against the US dollar at the close today as the United States' weak job numbers weighed on the greenback's performance. At 6 pm, the local currency remained at 4.0885/0930 against the greenback, unchanged since last Friday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the US non-farm payroll revealed a decline of 23,000 jobs in July. "Clearly, the case for a September rate hike is not a foregone conclusion, as the weak labour market would help to temper inflationary pressures," he explained. He further mentioned that the upcoming US Consumer Price Index report, set to be released this Wednesday, would be critical for Federal Open Market Committee members as they assess the state of the economy for their meeting on September 15-16.

Meanwhile, the ringgit ended mostly lower against a basket of major currencies. It inched up against the Japanese yen to 2.5736/5766 from 2.5813/5843 at last Friday's close but eased against the euro to 4.7247/7299 from 4.7132/7184 last week, and slipped vis-a-vis the British pound to 5.5170/5231 from 5.4949/5010 previously.

Similarly, the ringgit depreciated against regional currencies. It declined against the Singapore dollar to 3.1961/2002 from 3.1911/1949 last Friday, dipped versus the Thai baht to 12.3894/4079 from 12.3665/3843 previously, eased against the Philippine peso to 6.73/6.74 from 6.71/6.72 last week, and slid against the Indonesian rupiah to 230.2/230.6 from 228.4/228.7 previously.