- Indian Rupee (INR) rises but economic concerns remain
- Foreign exchange reserves in focus
- Pound (GBP) slips despite upbeat outlook
- No UK data due today -jobs, CPI & retail sales next week
The Pound Indian Rupee (GBP/INR) exchange rate is heading southwards for a third straight day. The pair settled -0.4% lower on Thursday at 103.00 towards the low of the day. At 07:45 UTC, GBP/INR trades -0.87% at 102.11. The pair is set to lose -0.27% across the week after two straight weeks of gains.
Covid concerns remain on the agenda for Rupee traders. Covid cases continue to surge reaching a fresh daily high of 200,000 on Thursday. Restrictions imposed by Indian states in an attempt to curb the spread of covid have disrupted supply chains and caused labour shortages in the small companies that make up around a third of the economic output for the country.
Maharashtra, which contributes around 15% to the Indian GDP shut most of its factories from Wednesday. Over 10 other states have imposed some restriction which are hitting transportation and supplies of raw materials.
Looking ahead investors will focus on the release of foreign exchange reserves due later today.
The Pound has struggled to find demand this week despite an upbeat outlook for the UK economy. After a strong first quarter for Sterling, investors have been more cautious about buying into the Pound.
The UK economy continues to ease lockdown restrictions, but that has been priced. There are few surprises surrounding the reopening narrative. Risks probably lie more the downside than the upside.
Lingering concerns over Brexit, particularly issues surrounding the Northern Ireland border and independence in Scotland are on investor’s radar and could be dampening demand for sterling.
Today the UK economic calendar is quiet. Investors could start looking ahead to UK jobs data, inflation figures and retail sales next week.
PMI data for both the UK will also be published next week and could paint a clearer picture as to how the recovery in the UK economy is progressing.
