Malaysian Ringgit Not Negatively Impacted By US Interest Rate Hike - Minister Mustapa

KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- The recent interest rate hike in the US has not negatively impacted the Malaysian ringgit, said Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mustapa Mohamed. He also said an increase doesn't necessarily lead to a weakening of the ringgit as the local unit's performance is determined by market forces. "In fact, since the increase, the ringgit has remained stable and even strengthened. So, we hope this trend will continue going forward," he told reporters at the Industry Excellence Awards 2016 here Friday. The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday increased the interest rate in the world's largest economy by 25 basis points to one per cent. At 6 pm on Friday, the ringgit traded at 4.4340/4370 against the greenback compared with 4.4350/4390 on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Industry Excellence Awards recognises the achievements of businesses that have attained outstanding levels of business excellence throughout 2016. --BERNAMA