- Indian Rupee (INR) rises after 5-days of declines
- Oil falls 1.5%
- US Dollar (USD) falls versus major peers
- Fed is expected to keep rates unchanged
The US Dollar Indian Rupee (USD/INR) exchange rate is falling, snapping a 5-day winning run. The pair rose +0.05% in the previous session, settling on Tuesday at 83.31. At 10:30 UTC, USD/INR trades -0.2 at 83.14 and trades in a range of 83.13 to 83.84.
The rupee is up on Wednesday after the Indian central bank once again is expected to have intervened in both the non-deliverable and the over-the-counter markets.
The Reserve Bank of India is indicating that it is not willing to tolerate the Rupee falling from here.
Also supporting the Rupee was a slight dip in oil prices after a persistent rally. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has fallen 1.5% at the time of writing and trades back below $90.00 a barrel
The US Dollar is falling across the board. The US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback versus a basket of major currencies, trades -0.1% at the time of writing at 105.10, marking the fourth straight day of losses.
The US dollar is falling as investors look cautiously ahead to the Federal Reserve interest rate decision later today. The US central bank is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at a 22 year high of 5.25 to 5.5%.
However, with energy prices on the rise again, inflation creeping higher, and economic data showing a resilient economy, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is likely to keep the door open for another interest rate hike before the end of the year.
Going into the meeting, the market still doesn’t consider a November interest rate hike the most likely outcome, with just a 30% probability being priced in that the Fed will hike rates at the November meeting.
With this in mind, Fed chair Jerome Powell’s tone in the press conference will be key for the direction of the US dollar Powell is likely to be pressed over whether he sees another rate hike again before the end of the year. He is likely to want to keep his options open.
