The Indian Rupee (INR) remains under pressure against the US Dollar (USD), as oil prices continue to boil due to Middle East risks. In the opening trade on Friday, the USD/INR pair is slightly higher at near 95.25, closer to its over two-week high of 95.38 posted the previous day.
In early trading on Friday, the MCX Crude Oil contract expiring on November 19 jumps to near its recent highs of Rs. 9,873.
Higher oil prices bode poorly for currencies from economies such as India, given their significant reliance on oil imports to meet their energy needs.
Crude trades under headline pressure, but risk premium keeps energy supported
According to TD Securities, a "deal headline barrage" ahead of the US midterm elections is exerting notable pressure on crude, with "persistent headlines of deal talks" weighing on the market. The bank expects this dynamic to persist into the vote, but adds that it does not anticipate that Iran would agree to a deal "just before the tense elections."
At the same time, TD Securities stresses that "on the ground, the fundamentals remain tight," pointing to tanker attacks and Houthi pressure, which "appear to have been successful in reducing Mideast flows, at least temporarily." The bank argues that "so long as continued attacks keep a risk premium in the market, energy prices should remain well-supported in this higher range."
US Dollar and US bond yields regain ground
Signs from price action in the US Dollar and US Treasury Yields that both are regaining ground are also lending strength to the USD/INR pair.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, recovers a majority of its early losses and trades around 101.78 at press time. Earlier in the day, the USD Index declined to 101.59.
As of writing, 10-year US Treasury Yields are down 0.24% to near 4.93%, but they have clawed back the majority of early losses after sliding to a fresh seven-week low at 4.89%.
The US Dollar and bond yields came under pressure even though preliminary United States (US) Q3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth remained stronger than expected and the core Personal Consumer Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, which is the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) preferred inflation gauge, elevated further.
On Tuesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that the economy expanded at an annualized pace of 3.4%, faster than estimates of 3.2% and the prior release of 2.2%.
The US core PCE Inflation rose by 3.1% Year-on-Year (YoY) in September, in line with expectations, and higher than the August reading of 3%. On a monthly basis, the growth was similar to estimates and the prior release of 0.3%.
USD/INR Technical Analysis
In the daily chart, USD/INR trades at 95.25, maintaining a mildly bearish near-term bias as spot holds below the 20-period exponential moving average (EMA) at 95.32. The pair has retreated from late-September highs and the loss of the short-term EMA suggests upside attempts are being capped, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 46.94 hovers just below neutral, hinting at fading bullish momentum rather than outright oversold conditions.
On the topside, immediate resistance is located at the 20-day EMA near 95.32, followed by 96.00. Looking down, the June 25 low at 94.16 is the key support level.
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