Zeti Akthar Aziz

Templeton Cools on Malaysian Shorter Sukuk as Zeti Rules Out Cut

A rally in Malaysia’s two-year Islamic bonds lost its key driver after central bank Governor Zeti Akthar Aziz seemed to rule out an interest-rate cut. Malaysia’s borrowing costs are accommodative and the ringgit is undervalued, Zeti said. Maybank Investment Bank said there’s limited room for further declines in short-end yields, after they fell five times faster than those on 10-year notes in 2015. Franklin Templeton Investments Malaysia sees investors switching to longer tenors and forecasts no policy change this year. In the absence of any events that may lead to GDP falling below Bank Negara’s target, a cut in the overnight policy rate is considered unnecessary at this juncture.

Syndicate content