- The Indian Rupee gives back early gains against the US Dollar and slumps to the all-time low around 95.45.
- Earlier in the day, RBI’s limit to bank’s foreign exposure boosted the Indian Rupee.
- Oil prices rally amid fears of further escalation in the Middle East war.
The Indian Rupee (INR) surrenders its early gains against the US Dollar (USD) on Monday, which were driven by the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) introduction of new limits on banks’ foreign-exchange exposure. The USD/INR pair has reclaimed its all-time high at 95.45 after a weak opening around 94.00.
Late Friday, the RBI directed banks to cap their net open rupee positions in the foreign exchange market at $100 million by the end of each business day, with compliance required by April 10, Reuters reported.
The impact of the RBI’s curb on long onshore positions in the USD/INR pair remained short-lived, as the fundamental damage to the Indian currency due to higher oil prices and the consistent outflow of foreign funds could trigger the resumption of the broader decline.
Oil price gains amid fears of US ground invasion
Global oil prices have rallied in the early trade on Monday, with the WTI Oil Price rising over 2.5% to near $102.50, amid fears that the United States (US) could execute military action on the ground in Iran.
On Thursday, a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) showed that the US Pentagon is considering sending 10,000 additional military troops to Iran for ground military attacks. In response, Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said that Iran would “rain fire” on any US troops attempting to enter Iranian territory, BBC reported.
Currencies from economies, such as India, that rely heavily on oil imports to meet their energy needs tend to underperform in a high oil price environment.
FIIs selling continues amid Middle East tensions
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) are consistently dumping their stake in the Indian stock market as the ongoing war in the Middle East has prompted demand for safe-haven assets, such as the US Dollar (USD).
So far this month, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have remained net sellers on all trading days and have offloaded their stake worth Rs. 1,11,376.83 crore.
US Dollar to remains volaitile in US-data packed week
This week, investors brace for high volatility in the US Dollar as a string of US labor market-linked and ISM Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data are scheduled to be published.
Investors will pay close attention to the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for March, which will influence market expectations for the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy outlook.
Technical Analysis: USD/INR corrects to near 94.00
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USD/INR bounces back to near 95.45 as of writing. The near-term bias is bullish as price holds well above the rising 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 93.30. The sequence of higher closes since early November reinforces upward pressure.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains inside the 60.00-80.00 range, signaling strong bullish momentum, but have also reached overbought levels.
Immediate support emerges at the 20-day EMA around 93.23, where a break would expose deeper downside toward the January high of 92.50. Below that, the next notable support stands at 92.00, where the prior consolidation base aligns with the broader trend structure. On the upside, the price could extend its way toward the 96.00 area as the next upside reference. As long as price holds above 93.23, pullbacks remain consistent with a bullish continuation scenario.
