Asia currencies hit new lows on oil slide

Singapore

EMERGING Asian currencies from Malaysia's ringgit to South Korea's won hit new lows on Monday, as data highlighted the economic toll wrought by plunging oil prices, sending the US dollar broadly higher.

The ringgit underperformed regional peers, falling to around five-year lows as investors worried that US crude's slide to a five-year low will hurt growth in Malaysia, a net oil exporter and major palm oil producer.