CURRENCY OVERVIEW

The Rupee opened rangebound on Tuesday, holding near its all-time low, with the dollar making its way to the highest in more than two months. The decline in oil prices alongside expectations that the Reserve Bank of India will intervene are likely to counter the dollar's rally. The dollar index touched 103.36 on Monday, the highest level in more than two months. Asian currencies were down with the offshore Chinese yuan weakening to 7.11 to the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen just shy of 150. The dollar index is now more than 3% higher than its recent lows, following the change in expectations on the size of the Federal Reserve's next rate cut. Investors have priced out the likelihood of another 50-basis-point cut after the robust U.S. jobs report. The dollar is firm with Fed rate cut expectations remaining muted, said Srinivas Puni, managing director at QuantArt Market Solutions. The RBI has made it evident that the rupee weakening past 84 does not mean that they were prepared to loosen their stranglehold on the currency, according to traders. The U.S. jobless claims data, due Thursday, is the next key print that the market participants are eyeing, given the Fed's focus on the labour market. The yen last fetched 149.55 per dollar in early trading, having touched a 2-1/2 month high of 149.98 on Monday when Japan was closed for a holiday. It last hit the 150 level on Aug. 1. Meanwhile, the Australian dollar was steady at $0.67275, while the New Zealand dollar was 0.13% lower at $0.6089. The euro last bought $1.090825. Oil prices slid 3% in early Asian trade on Tuesday after a media report said Israel is willing not to strike Iranian oil targets, which eased fears of a supply disruption, and after OPEC lowered its outlook for global oil demand growth in 2024 and 2025. Both benchmarks plunged 3% in early trade on Tuesday, following a 2% drop on Monday. Brent crude futures were down $2.27 at $75.19 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell $2.22 to $71.60 per barrel as of 0127 GMT.

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