Indian rupee softens 9 paise against dollar in early trade

The Indian rupee weakened by 9 paise to 73.92 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday on increased demand for the American currency from banks and importers.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange, the domestic currency opened higher at 73.79 but lost ground and fell to 73.92.

Against the Qatar Riyal, the rupee was trading at 20.30 at 8:30am (Qatar time), according to XE.com.

Dealers attributed the rupee’s fall to the dollar’s strength against some other currencies overseas but fresh inflows by foreign funds and a higher opening in domestic equity markets, capped the losses.

Moreover, weak exports data also dampened sentiments in the forex market. India’s exports entered the negative zone after five months, contracting 2.15 per cent in September to USD 27.95 billion, according to commerce ministry data.

The rupee had lost 26 paise to close at 73.83 Monday after crude prices rose amid intensifying geopolitical tensions.

The benchmark BSE Sensex Tuesday rose by 89.17 points, or 0.26 per cent to trade at 34,954.27.

Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors bought shares worth Rs 67.86 crore on net basis from stock markets on Monday, according to the BSE data.

Pakistan rupee, equity market hit by economic worries

Plagued by a tumbling economy, falling forex reserves and balance of payment crisis, Pakistan’s currency and equity markets closed on a weaker note. Both lost massively after Islamabad approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package and due to the impact of the global equity sell-off.

Against the Qatar Riyal, the rupee was trading at 36.51 at 8:30am (Qatar time), according to XE.com.

Experts and analysts expect that Pakistani currency will remain under pressure and could be devalued further against the Qatar Riyal and US dollar to meet the IMF’s conditions for the bailout. The State Bank of Pakistan let the rupee devalue last week by nearly 7 per cent ahead of talks with the IMF.

“Today, the rupee was trading at 133.10 against the dollar, or 36.51 against the riyal, during early morning hours. It can fall to 135 against the dollar, or 36.90 against the riyal, in the coming days as the IMF feels the rupee is still overvalued and could further depreciate to 145 against the dollar and 39.80 against the riyal,” he said.

Sudhesh Giriyan, COO, Xpress Money, also attributed the decline in the rupee to various reasons such as the country’s widening current account deficit and deteriorating foreign currency reserves.

“From an economic point of view, this situation can lead to inflation and rise in fuel prices in the country. However, Pakistani expats can greatly benefit from better exchange rates. We have seen a surge in remittances each time the currency has devalued as expats get more value on their money transfers,” Giriyan said.

Though the media in Pakistan has reported that Islamabad will seek an $8 billion loan from the IMF but the Institute of International Finance (IIF) on Friday said the bailout could top $15 billion due to $5 billion roll-over debt and maturity of $1 billion sukuk in March next year.

Islamabad is trying to stabilise the economy as it battles the balance of payments crisis amid a shortage of dollars and dwindling foreign currency reserves. Analysts expect these challenges will keep the currency under pressure in the coming weeks and the rupee could touch 40 against the riyal in the near future.

On Monday, the Pakistan stock exchange plunged more than three per cent, or nearly 1,100 points, in early trade and hit a 2-year low but recovered later to close the day at 36,767 points, a decline of two per cent, or 750 points. The market has lost nearly 10 per cent since October 1.

Commenting on volatility in the equity market, Raipancholia said it was uncertainty driven panic that triggered the October 8 stock market crash in which the KSE-100 Index fell 1,328 points, the biggest one-day decline in the last 15 months. Since there is no change in circumstances, the equity fall is likely to continue.