KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The ringgit closed higher against the US dollar today as the easing tension in the Middle East has attracted investors back into riskier assets, including the ringgit, a dealer said.

At 6pm, the ringgit was quoted at 4.0880/0930 versus the greenback, compared with 4.1000/1030 yesterday.

He said that Middle East tensions have significantly abated as the United States and Iran stepped back from the brink of war after the US President Donald Trump called for fresh negotiations following Iran’s retaliation.

However, another dealer said that investors remained wary following the Baghdad Green Zone bombing, believing that the US-Iran conflict was far from over.

Meanwhile, the ringgit was traded mostly higher against a basket of major currencies.

It went up against the Singapore dollar to 3.0243/0285 from 3.0364/0390 at yesterday’s close, and appreciated against the Japanese yen to 3.7350/7406 from 3.7805/7837 yesterday.

The local note strengthened against the British pound to 5.3250/3332 from 5.3780/3835 previously, and increased against the euro to 4.5369/5440 from 4.5662/5712. — Bernama