- Indian Rupee (INR) falls after small gains yesterday
- China CPI cools to 0.1%
- US Dollar (USD) rises despite cooling PPI
- US jobless claims rise to 265k
The US Dollar Indian Rupee (USD/INR) exchange rate is rising after losses in the previous session. The pair fell 0.24% in the previous session, settling on Wednesday at 81.90. At 16:00 UTC, USD/INR trades +0.25% at 82.10 and trades in a range of 81.87 to 81.83.
The Rupee remains near two-week lows versus the US dollar, with moves being mainly dictated by the greenback rather than Rupee in and outflows.
Asian currencies were mainly weaker across the session, possibly owing to weaker-than-expected China inflation data. China’s inflation cools to 0.1%, its slowest pace in two years, pointing to weakness in domestic demand and raising questions over the strength of the economic rebound.
The US Dollar is rising across the board. The US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback versus a basket of major currencies, trades +0.63% at the time of writing at 102.05, rebounding from losses yesterday.
The US dollar is pushing higher despite data showing that wholesale inflation and the US jobs market cooled.
You asked wholesale inflation as measured by the producer price index cooled by more than expected to 2.3% year on year, down from 2.7% and lower than forecasts of 2.7%. This was the slowest rise in PPI since early 2021. PPI is often considered a lead indicator for consumer price inflation, suggesting that consumer prices will continue cooling as well.
Meanwhile, initial jobless claims rose by 265,000, up from 242,000 in the previous week and ahead of 245,000 forecast. This was the highest level of initial jobless claims since late 2021, suggesting that higher interest rates were starting to impact the labour market.
While the data pointed to a pause in rate hikes, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said that price pressures remain too hot, even as some strains are appearing in the economy.
