- Indian Rupee (INR) falls for a fourth day
- Indian GDP grew 7.4% in January to March
- US Dollar (USD) rises versus major peers
- US core PCE eased to 2.5% from 2.6%
The US dollar-to-Indian rupee (USD/INR) exchange rate rose for a fourth straight day. The pair rose 0.01% in the previous session, settling on Thursday at 85.41. At 21:30 UTC USD/INR traded 0.12% higher at 85.52 and traded in a range of 85.24 to 85.65.
The Rupee fell on Friday despite data showing that the Indian economy grew more rapidly than expected in the first three months of the year. Indian GDP rose 7.4% in the January-March period. This was ahead of expectations of 6.7% and up from the 6.4% growth seen. This marked the fastest increase in growth since January to March 2024. The Reserve Bank of India expects GDP to be 6.5% this fiscal year beginning April 1. This would make India the fastest-growing major economy. Manufacturing output rose 4.8%, up from 3.6% in the previous quarter.
The US Dollar is rising across the board. The US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, is rising 0.05% to 99.33, and is set to rise 0.3% across the week after steep losses last week.
The US dollar rose on Friday despite inflation cooling in line with expectations. US Core PCE eased to 2.5% year on year in line with expectations and down from 2.6% in March. However, while inflation cooled to its lowest level in four years, personal spending also weakened significantly to 0.2% in April, down from 0.7%, as US consumer confidence deteriorated owing to concerns over the outlook of the US economy amid Trump’s erratic trade tariffs. Instead, the data showed that households are boosting savings amid mounting economic uncertainty.
While the Federal Reserve will welcome the cooling inflation data, this will be taken with caution as inflation is expected to rise as a result of Trump’s tariffs.
