The Indian Rupee (INR) opened 0.36% lower at 85.64 per US dollar, compared to its previous close of 85.33, as global market volatility and dollar strength weighed on emerging market currencies. The decline follows a rebound in the dollar index, alongside rising crude oil prices and profit booking in domestic equities.
Key Highlights:
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Rupee’s Decline: The INR slipped 25 paise, closing at 85.34 per dollar, after touching an intraday low of 85.64.
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Dollar Index Recovery: The US dollar index rebounded 0.43% to 99.36, reversing its seven-month decline, pressuring the rupee.
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Oil Price Impact: Brent crude rose 0.31% to $64.94 per barrel, adding to India’s import costs, further weakening the rupee.
Market Sentiment:
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Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) are expected to withdraw $900 million due to MSCI rebalancing, impacting rupee liquidity.
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Asian currencies showed mixed trends, with the Chinese yuan down 0.1%, while the Korean won gained 0.2%.
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RBI Rate Cut Speculation: Analysts suggest that expectations of an RBI rate cut in the upcoming Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting may be weighing on the rupee.
Strategic Outlook:
The rupee is expected to trade within a range of 84.75 to 85.50, with strong resistance near 85.50 levels. Analysts recommend selling on upticks, while immediate support lies at 84.80–84.90.
Source: Business Standard, Moneycontrol, Economic Times.