- Indian Rupee (INR) rises as manufacturing activity picks up
- RBI could look to hike rates sooner
- US Dollar (USD) trades around monthly high versus majors
- US ISM manufacturing PMI
The US Dollar Indian Rupee (USD/INR) exchange rate is edging higher at the start of the week, paring some losses from the previous week. The pair lost -0.1% across last week closing on Friday at 74.91. At 11:00 UTC, USD/INR trades +0.04% at 74.94.
The India Rupee is finding support following the release of data which revealed that India’s factory activity expanded at its fastest pace in eight months in October. A combination of strong demand and higher output lifted the manufacturing to 55.9, its highest level since February and up from 53.7. The new orders sub index which is considered a proxy for domestic demand rose to 58.7 its highest level in seven months
The data suggests that the economic recovery in Asia’s third largest economy is on track following its pandemic induced slump. The strong data could boost expectations that the Reserve Bank of India could move to tighten monetary policy sooner rather than later in line with some other central banks across the globe.
The US Dollar is trading mildly higher across the board. The US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback versus a basket of major currencies trades +0.02% at the time of writing at 94.14, extending gains from last week.
The US Dollar is holding steady around monthly highs. The greenback jumped higher on Friday following the release of Core PCE data, the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation. Core PCE reached 3.6%, a 30 year high prompting bets that the Fed could look to tighten interest rates sooner. The Federal Reserve is due to announce its monetary policy decision on Wednesday.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs now see the first Fed rare hike in July 2022. Attention will now turn to US ISM manufacturing PMI which is expected to reveal a slight slowdown in activity to 60.5 in October from 61.1 in September.
