- Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) falls for a second day
- US is set to apply 104% tariffs on Chinese imports
- US Dollar (USD) falls against major peers
- US recession fears rise to 80%
The US dollar-Malaysian ringgit (USD/MYR) exchange rate is rising for a second straight day. The pair rose 1.26% in the previous session, settling on Monday at 4.4900. At 21:00 UTC, USD/MYR trades -0.02% at 4.49110 and is in a range of 4.4805 to 4.5005
The Malaysian ringgit is falling after President Trump doubled down on his threats against China, warning the world’s second-largest economy to back down after it vowed 34% reciprocal tariffs on US imports. However, China vowed to fight to the end, which could leave most Chinese imports facing a staggering 104% tax amid a sharp escalation in trade between the two sides.
Smartphones, computers, lithium batteries, toys, and video game consoles make up the bulk of Chinese exports to the US. However, China is unlikely to blink first, as doing so would not only make China look weak but also give the US leverage to ask for more. Levies go into force at midnight tonight.
The US Dollar is rising against the Ringgit but falling against its major peers. The US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback versus a basket of major currencies, trades at 103.04 at the time of writing, down 0.20% after losses yesterday.
The US dollar is falling against its major peers as recession fears rise once again. According to JP Morgan, recession fairs in stocks, which are closely tied to America’s economy, have spiked to 80%.] The Russell 2000, a more cyclical index, points to an 80% recession probability.
These fears come ahead of Trump’s reciprocal tariffs coming into force at midnight tonight.
The US economic calendar has been relatively quiet this week, focusing on trade tariff developments.
Tomorrow does see the release of the FOMC minutes from the March meeting; however, these could be considered stale given that the flow pointed to just two rate cuts, and it’s got part compared to the market pricing in five rate cuts now.
