Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervention has helped curb further volatility in the rupee, traders said. On Tuesday, the rupee strengthened by 12 paise to close at 85.71/$1.
US job openings rose for the second straight month in November to 8,098,000, defying expectations for a decline to 7,740,000 from October’s 7,839,000. Following the strong data, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury bill rose to 4.7%.
The yield peak was last seen in April 2024 at 4.704%
“The RBI was present when the rupee touched the 85.86 level as there was continued dollar buying from Indian equities along with FPIs,” said Anil Bhansali, head of treasury at Finrex Treasury Advisors. “Markets are now pricing in a softer pace of US rate cuts due to strong data.”
Foreign portfolio investors on Wednesday invested Rs. 3,362.18 crore in sales, BSE data showed.
While the US Fed projected a 50 basis point rate cut in 2025, investors are currently pricing in a 38 basis point cut by the Fed, according to CMEs FedWatch tool.
Markets now await non-farm payrolls data due on Friday to gauge interest rate cuts in the US.
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