The Indian Rupee is extending gains against the US Dollar for a second straight session on Friday. The Rupee settled on Thursday +0.4% higher versus the greenback, at 75.79, after stronger than forecast Chinese data boosted the mood in the market, lifting demand for riskier currencies.
Risk sentiment remains elevated on Friday owing to easing US – Sino trade tensions. At 11:15 UTC, USD/INR is trading -0.25% at 75.59. This is mid-way between the daily traded range of 75.26 – 75.94.
The Indian Rupee is on track to have strengthened 0.2% against the US Dollar across the week, in its third straight week of gains.
Risk Sentiment Improves
Risk sentiment continued to rebound on Friday after a constructive trade call between the US and China. The two powers concluded that good progress had been made in the implementation of the Phase One trade agreement, easing US – Sino tensions and boosting risk appetite.
As risk appetite increased, demand for Indian equities jumped and foreign institutional investors were net buyers. The Sensex traded 500 points higher, under pinning Indian Rupee demand.
Gains in the Rupee could be limited going forwards as concerns linger over the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the domestic economy, as well as the global economy.
21.5 Million Job Losses Expected in April
The safe haven US Dollar is slipping lower across the board on Friday as risk sentiment improves. Attention will now turn towards the release of the US non-farm payroll report. This is the most closely followed US macro-economic report released each month.
Analysts are expecting the non-farm payroll jobs report to show that 21.5 million jobs were lost in April owing to the coronavirus crisis. Analysts are expecting the unemployment rate to jump to 16%, up from 4.4% last month. The last time that unemployment was in double digits was back in 1983.
There has been plenty of warning that today’s figure would be week. Initial jobless claims, the ADP private payroll report and the employment component of the ISM manufacturing and non-manufacturing reports have all guided the market to expect a record-breaking loss of jobs in April and so shouldn’t phase investors. The reality of such an unbelievable number could jolt the markets, however up to now investors have broadly been looking past disastrous data, focusing on the optimism of reopening economies.
