USD/INR holds onto US-India trade uncertainty-led gains, India's CPI rises 0.7%
- The Indian Rupee falls to near 90.86 against the US Dollar amid uncertainty surrounding the US-India trade deal.
- So far, FIIs have remained net sellers on all trading days of December.
- Investors await India’s retail CPI and the US NFP data for November.
The Indian Rupee (INR) extends its decline against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday, with the USD/INR pair hitting fresh all-time highs at 90.86. The Indian currency continues to underperform its peers as investors remain anxious over whether the United States (US) and India will reach a trade deal in the near term.
No major outcome has come out of the two-day meeting between Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer and his team, and top negotiators from India, keeping uncertainty over the US-India trade deal intact.
A slight optimism built on the US-India trade pact outlook on Wednesday when US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated, while testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee, that the latest offer by New Delhi is the "best ever" the US has seen, while keeping the claim that India is a “tough nut to crack”. However, sentiment over the Indian Rupee is expected to remain bogged down unless a deal is announced.
On comments by US Trade Representative Greer, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated on Thursday that Washington should sign the bilateral deal if it is very happy with the offer. "His happiness is very much welcome. And, I do believe that if they are very happy, they should be signing on the dotted lines,” Goyal said, PTI reported.
It seems that the Indian equity market will continue to witness outflows from overseas investors unless a trade deal between the US and India is announced. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) have remained net sellers so far in all trading days of December, and have offloaded stake worth Rs. 18,491.29 crore.
On the domestic front, India's retail Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for November has come almost in line with expectations. Inflation at the retail level has come in at 0.7%, up from 0.25% in October.
The table below shows the percentage change of Indian Rupee (INR) against listed major currencies this week. Indian Rupee was the weakest against the Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | INR | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.77% | -0.39% | 0.28% | -0.47% | -0.46% | 0.47% | -1.11% | |
| EUR | 0.77% | 0.42% | 1.10% | 0.34% | 0.37% | 1.44% | -0.30% | |
| GBP | 0.39% | -0.42% | 0.71% | -0.08% | -0.05% | 0.85% | -0.71% | |
| JPY | -0.28% | -1.10% | -0.71% | -0.74% | -0.73% | 0.23% | -1.37% | |
| CAD | 0.47% | -0.34% | 0.08% | 0.74% | 0.03% | 0.92% | -0.63% | |
| AUD | 0.46% | -0.37% | 0.05% | 0.73% | -0.03% | 0.90% | -0.66% | |
| INR | -0.47% | -1.44% | -0.85% | -0.23% | -0.92% | -0.90% | -1.74% | |
| CHF | 1.11% | 0.30% | 0.71% | 1.37% | 0.63% | 0.66% | 1.74% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Indian Rupee from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent INR (base)/USD (quote).
Daily digest market movers: US Dollar underperforms on dovish Fed bets
- The Indian Rupee underperforms the US Dollar even as the latter is expected to close in red for the third straight week. At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, strives to regain ground after posting a fresh seven-week low of 98.13 on Thursday.
- The US Dollar has been under pressure since Wednesday when the Federal Reserve (Fed) ruled out the possibility of a pause in the ongoing monetary-easing campaign despite inflationary pressures remaining well above the 2% target.
- The Fed’s dot plot showed that policymakers collectively see the Federal Fund Rate heading to 3.4% by the end of 2026, signaling that there will be one interest rate cut next year. However, Fed Chair Jerome Powell clarified that the bar of another interest rate cut is very high, and we are close to the upper range of neutrality, a level that neither stimulates nor restricts the economy.
- Before the monetary policy announcement, market participants anticipated the Fed to signal that it is done with trimming interest rates, following a 25-basis-point (bps) reduction to 3.50%-3.75%.
- Going forward, investors will pay close attention to the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for fresh cues on the interest rate outlook. The impact of the official employment data will be significant on market expectations for the Fed’s monetary policy outlook, as the central bank has reduced borrowing rates in its last three meetings due to downside labor market risks.
Technical Analysis: USD/INR holds key 20-day EMA
In the daily chart, USD/INR trades at 90.6885. The 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 89.8183 rises and stays beneath the spot price, keeping the short-term uptrend intact and supporting dip-buying interest.
Price action remains above the moving average, suggesting the advance is being tracked by trend followers.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 69.27 edges toward overbought, confirming firm bullish momentum while hinting at risk of fatigue on further gains.
The bias stays firm as long as USD/INR holds above the rising 20-day EMA, with pullbacks expected to be absorbed near the average. A decisive break above the fresh all-time high of 90.86 could lead to further advancement towards 92.00.
RSI hovering just below 70 signals strong but stretched momentum; a push above 70 could trigger consolidation, while sustained readings below that threshold would maintain an orderly grind higher. A daily close back under the 20-day EMA would soften the tone and open room for a deeper retracement towards the December 1 low at 89.51.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool)
Indian economy FAQs
The Indian economy has averaged a growth rate of 6.13% between 2006 and 2023, which makes it one of the fastest growing in the world. India’s high growth has attracted a lot of foreign investment. This includes Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into physical projects and Foreign Indirect Investment (FII) by foreign funds into Indian financial markets. The greater the level of investment, the higher the demand for the Rupee (INR). Fluctuations in Dollar-demand from Indian importers also impact INR.
India has to import a great deal of its Oil and gasoline so the price of Oil can have a direct impact on the Rupee. Oil is mostly traded in US Dollars (USD) on international markets so if the price of Oil rises, aggregate demand for USD increases and Indian importers have to sell more Rupees to meet that demand, which is depreciative for the Rupee.
Inflation has a complex effect on the Rupee. Ultimately it indicates an increase in money supply which reduces the Rupee’s overall value. Yet if it rises above the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 4% target, the RBI will raise interest rates to bring it down by reducing credit. Higher interest rates, especially real rates (the difference between interest rates and inflation) strengthen the Rupee. They make India a more profitable place for international investors to park their money. A fall in inflation can be supportive of the Rupee. At the same time lower interest rates can have a depreciatory effect on the Rupee.
India has run a trade deficit for most of its recent history, indicating its imports outweigh its exports. Since the majority of international trade takes place in US Dollars, there are times – due to seasonal demand or order glut – where the high volume of imports leads to significant US Dollar- demand. During these periods the Rupee can weaken as it is heavily sold to meet the demand for Dollars. When markets experience increased volatility, the demand for US Dollars can also shoot up with a similarly negative effect on the Rupee.
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.
