Forecasts for the Malaysian ringgit change all the time, affected by news events such as the Coronavirus and relative sentiment towards the Malaysian economy. This continually updated article reviews MYR bank forecasts and popular cross-rate trends.
The ringgit is expected to weaken further in the coming months on the back of lower economic growth. Export-dependent Malaysia is expected to struggle amid tighter trade conditions brought on by the recent escalation in US-China trade tensions. Morgan Stanley said in May that USD/MYR would rise to or above RM4.22 before the end of September.
MYR in the markets
Malaysia was added to a US watchlist of suspected currency manipulators in May. Though that means little right now in terms of economic implications, it added to negative sentiment, which then spurred a rise in USD/MYR to a 6-month high (MYR low) of RM4.2.
Among factors contributing to the ringgit’s weakness over the past year has been political uncertainty relating to Malaysia’s ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition, late-2018’s crash in oil prices, global trade tensions and higher US interest rates.
What is a good MYR exchange rate?
This is a difficult question and the answer really depends on many factors. The best way to consider an exchange rate's relative value is to look at the rate's history.
For example, the following table looks at the change in the MYR to USD exchange rate to the present day for periods going back upto 10 years:
| Period | Date | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Week | 19 May 2020 | 0.2300 |
| 30 Days | 26 Apr 2020 | 0.2294 |
| 90 Days | 26 Feb 2020 | 0.2367 |
| 1 Year | 27 May 2019 | 0.2389 |
| 5 Years | 28 May 2015 | 0.2742 |
| 10 Years | 29 May 2010 | 0.3057 |
You can also read our full Foreign Exchange Guide to Malaysia.
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