Indian Rupee plummets as renewed Middle East conflicts boost oil prices

The Indian Rupee opens on a negative note against the US Dollar.
The US Dollar gains as surprisingly strong US NFP numbers boost hawkish Fed bets.
Renewed Israel-Iran war has prompted oil prices.

Sagar Dua FXStreet

The Indian Rupee (INR) starts the week on a negative note against the US Dollar (USD), with the USD/INR pair jumping to near 95.65. The pair gains at open as surprisingly upbeat United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for May has strengthened the US Dollar, and rising oil prices due to re-escalating conflicts between Iran and Israel have weakened the Indian Rupee.

During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, holds onto Friday’s gains around 100.00, the highest zone seen in two months.

Strong US NFP figures boost hawkish Fed bets

On Friday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported surprisingly upbeat official employment data for May. The US NFP arrived significantly higher at 172K against 85K estimates. Meanwhile, the April reading was also revised higher to 179K from 115K. The Unemployment Rate remained steady at 4.3%, as expected. Strong job growth data, compounded with already high inflationary pressures, have resulted in a significant increase in hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) bets.

The CME FedWatch tool shows that the possibility of the Fed delivering at least one interest rate hike this year has increased to 73.8% from 45.2% seen a week ago.

Renewed Middle East conflicts trigger oil prices

The attacks from Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in western and central Iran over the weekend, despite US President Donald Trump urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran’s attacks, have renewed fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israeli military targets over the weekend in retaliation for Israeli aggression in Lebanon.

Rising hostilities in the Middle East have raised concerns over the US-Iran peace deal, prompting fears of a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has resulted in a sharp increase in oil prices. As of writing, the MCX Crude Oil contract expiring on June 18 is up 4.6% to near 9,020.

Currencies from economies, such as India, which rely heavily on oil imports to meet their energy needs, tend to underperform in a high oil price environment.

FIIs remain net sellers so far in June

So far in June, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have remained net sellers on all trading days, and offloaded their stake worth Rs. 30,814.47 crore. Overseas investors also remained net sellers in May and pared their stake worth Rs. 55,963.33 crore. Foreign investors are dumping their investments in the Indian stock market due to growing concerns over India Inc.’s earnings projections amid higher oil prices.

Technical Analysis: USD/INR aims to extend recovery towards 96.00

USD/INR trades significantly higher at around 95.65 at press time. The pair retains a bullish near-term bias as spot returns above the 20-day exponential moving average (EMA) at 95.4720, keeping the recent uptrend structure intact.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 53.9 is mid-range and slightly positive, hinting that upside momentum is modest but still favors dip-buying rather than a deeper correction for now.

On the downside, the June 5 low at 94.95 is the immediate low, and a sustained daily close below it would open the door to a further slippage towards the May 7 low around 94.00. Looking up, the pair could reclaim the all-time high around 97.10 if it rallies further above the June 4 high at 96.30.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool.)

Economic Indicator

Nonfarm Payrolls

The Nonfarm Payrolls release presents the number of new jobs created in the US during the previous month in all non-agricultural businesses; it is released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The monthly changes in payrolls can be extremely volatile. The number is also subject to strong reviews, which can also trigger volatility in the Forex board. Generally speaking, a high reading is seen as bullish for the US Dollar (USD), while a low reading is seen as bearish, although previous months' reviews and the Unemployment Rate are as relevant as the headline figure. The market's reaction, therefore, depends on how the market assesses all the data contained in the BLS report as a whole.

Why it matters to traders?

America’s monthly jobs report is considered the most important economic indicator for forex traders. Released on the first Friday following the reported month, the change in the number of positions is closely correlated with the overall performance of the economy and is monitored by policymakers. Full employment is one of the Federal Reserve’s mandates and it considers developments in the labor market when setting its policies, thus impacting currencies. Despite several leading indicators shaping estimates, Nonfarm Payrolls tend to surprise markets and trigger substantial volatility. Actual figures beating the consensus tend to be USD bullish.

Author

Sagar Dua

FXStreet

Sagar Dua is associated with the financial markets from his college days. Along with pursuing post-graduation in Commerce in 2014, he started his markets training with chart analysis.

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