The Indian rupee fell on Wednesday for a second straight day as renewed US–Iran attacks pushed oil prices higher. The currency weakened to a low of 95.80 against the dollar before settling at 95.71, down 44 paise from the previous close.
Oil prices rose 2.34% to $98.25 per barrel on Wednesday. The rupee has surrendered most of its earlier gains. During the past two weeks, the rupee rose to 95 per dollar from the record low of 96.83.
“Buying pressure was driven mainly by demand from oil importers and FPIs. Renewed Middle East hostilities pushed oil prices higher and led to a decline in the currency. However, the RBI likely sold dollars at 95.80, capping further losses,” said Anil Kumar Bhansali, head of treasury, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
In 2026 so far, the domestic currency declined 6.5%, with the bulk of depreciation happening after the onset of the West Asia war in late February. This marks the rupee as the second worst-performing Asian currency in 2026. Over the past one year, the rupee has fallen 10.4%.
In the near-term, currency traders and analysts expect the rupee to trade in the range of 95-96.
“Report on the government considering measures to attract inflows into the debt market and opening up more bonds under the fully accessible route has eased pressure. That news gave markets relief and the rupee strengthened marginally thereafter,” said Dilip Parmer, research analyst, HDFC Securities.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the government may announce measures as early as this week to attract more foreign investment, including tax cuts and lifting ownership limits on certain bonds.
Market participants now await the outcome of the monetary policy committee meeting, which is scheduled to be announced this Friday. They expect the RBI to announce some measures to support the currency. However, the majority of the participants are not of the view that RBI should deploy a rate hike to manage the exchange rate.
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Source: FinancialExpress

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