This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 17, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: Credit Suisse expects the ringgit to trade at 4.10 against the US dollar “over the next few months”, with the country’s upcoming stronger-than-expected economic growth to provide support for the local currency.

“Combined with [the] recently high oil prices and improving August trade seasonality, this helps to keep us constructive on the ringgit, targeting 4.10 versus the US dollar over the next few months,” Credit Suisse’s two fixed income analysts Ray Farris and Trang Thuy Le  said in its regional Asia foreign exchange (forex) strategy report yesterday.

Credit Suisse’s forecast of the ringgit was in line with the most recent estimate by Standard Chartered plc (StanChart).

Yesterday, StanChart forex strategist Divya Devesh forecast the ringgit to rebound to a fair value of 4.10 against the US dollar by the year end, adding that he remains “overweight” on the local currency.

The ringgit has rebounded by 4.4% from 4.4938 recorded on Jan 4, 2017.

As for the country’s economic growth — measured by gross domestic product (GDP) — Credit Suisse forecasts the Malaysian economy to grow by 6% in the second quarter of this year (2Q17). This is well above the consensus estimate of 5.4%, and 5.6% that the country managed to chalk in 1Q17.

Bank Negara Malaysia is due to announce the preliminary GDP figure for 2Q17 tomorrow.