Weekly wrap: the five money things that moved this week
Five items. What each changes for a household. One thing to do this weekend.
1. OPR stays at 2.75%: what “stays” actually does Bank Negara held the rate on 3 September, the fifth hold this year. A held rate is not a frozen instalment: banks can still reprice spreads, and several have. If your home loan statement shows a different effective rate from six months ago at the same OPR, that is why. What it changes: refinance comparisons are stable this quarter, which makes now a clean time to run one. Compare home loan refinancing offers and find out how much you can save.
2. Fuel: the gap between the grades is RM2.51 a litre this week For 10 to 16 September, RON97 is RM4.50 and unsubsidised RON95 is RM4.02, while eligible drivers pay RM1.99 for RON95 under BUDI95, with the monthly quota back at 300 litres since 1 September. What it changes: if your engine is rated for RON95, the higher grade is now costing roughly RM2,600 a year on normal mileage for nothing measurable. Monday’s piece walks through the one-minute check.
3. Three weeks to Budget 2027 Tabling is Friday 9 October. Four levers reach a household directly: subsidy design, tax bands, aid quantum and relief structure. Everything else reaches you indirectly. What it changes: nothing yet. What to have ready: your chargeable income and your current aid status, so Budget night has a baseline.
4. Deepavali falls on a Sunday, and the fares have noticed Deepavali is Sunday 8 November with the replacement holiday on Monday 9 November everywhere except Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak. Four days of leave buys nine days off, which is why year-end fares on the popular routes are already pricing in bands. What it changes: the cheap band on school-holiday dates closes earlier than on ordinary ones. Set fare alerts on your two candidate dates now rather than in October.
5. FD promo season: 3.75% online, 2.2% when it rolls CIMB’s eFD is paying 3.75% on a 12-month placement until 30 September, MBSB 3.80% from RM1,000, and Maybank and AmBank 3.70%, all for fresh funds placed online. Board rates on renewal sit closer to 2.0% to 2.5%. What it changes: the promo rate applies to the first cycle only; diarise the maturity date so the auto-renewal does not quietly halve your return. Check and compare the best fixed deposit rates for your needs.
Get more information through iMoney’s Learning Center interest rate articles.
