USD/INR: Range risks and oil sensitivity – MUFG

MUFG’s Senior Currency Analyst Michael Wan expects USD/INR to remain range-bound, projecting a base-case trading band between 94.00 and 95.00 over time, with a wider 97.00–98.00 range in a risk scenario of rising Oil prices. He notes the Reserve Bank of India is likely to keep rates on hold, with INR yields staying sticky due to domestic and external risks.

RBI stance and INR range projections

"In Asia, the Reserve Bank of India kept its policy rate on hold while keeping a neutral stance in what was a unanimous vote, as it signalled a focus on keeping rupee stability over supporting growth. Governor Malhotra highlighted upside risks to inflation and downside risks to growth from the Iran conflict and global oil prices, even as he signalled overall confidence in the Indian economy and macro buffers in withstanding these external shocks. The RBI is projecting some modest slowdown in growth with GDP at 6.9% and inflation at 4.6% for FY2026/27, with an assumption of crude oil at US$85/bbl average."

"On the recent RBI FX measures, Governor Malhotra described RBI’s FX measures as temporary, reaffirmed commitment to support Rupee internationalization over the medium-term, while framed the measures as a way to weed out short-term speculation and pressure that had been building up on one-way INR depreciation bets."

"In our base-case we think USD/INR can trade between the 94.00 to 95.00 range over time. In a risk case of oil prices resuming its rise, we think USD/INR may trade closer to the 97.00 to 98.00 range. While we see RBI keeping rates on hold for now, the meaningful risk of second round effects on food prices, potential fiscal slippages and weakness in capital inflows should result in a bias for overall INR interest rate yield structure to remain sticky moving forward."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)