Accra:The ringgit appreciated against the US dollar on Friday, buoyed by Malaysia's stronger-than-expected advance GDP estimate for the third quarter of 2026.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the ringgit closed at 4.0795/0835 against the greenback, improving from Thursday's close of 4.0800/0835. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported that the economy expanded by 5.3 percent in the third quarter, following a 6.0 percent growth in the previous quarter.

Dr. Mohd Afzanizam, chief economist at Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd, remarked that this announcement indicates the Malaysian economy's resilience. He suggested that the annual GDP might surpass the current projection of 4.8 percent to 5.3 percent, as the GDP growth for the first nine months of 2026 stands at 5.5 percent. Dr. Afzanizam also noted the potential for a normalization in the Overnight Policy Rate, given the current growth trend.

By the end of the trading day, the ringgit showed mixed results against other major currencies. It strengthened against the Japanese yen to 2.5831/5895 but weakened against the euro to 4.5911/5956 and the British pound to 5.4396/4449. Among ASEAN currencies, the ringgit gained against the Indonesian rupiah to 226.3/226.6 but fell against the Philippine peso at 6.48/6.49. It also decreased against the Singapore dollar to 3.1889/1922 and the Thai baht to 12.2101/2268.