FX.co ★ Rupee Extends Decline

The Indian rupee weakened to around 94.2 per dollar, extending its recent slide and touching a one-month low as external pressures intensified across global currency markets. The decline coincided with persistently elevated crude oil prices, with Brent rising as much as 2.5% to nearly $108 per barrel, pushing up India’s import bill and adding pressure to its external balances. Market sentiment was further dampened by a stronger US dollar, underpinned by diminishing expectations of diplomatic progress between Washington and Tehran after Donald Trump instructed his envoys to halt further negotiations. Investors are also positioning ahead of the upcoming US Federal Reserve policy meeting, where interest rates are widely expected to be left unchanged, while awaiting key domestic indicators—including industrial production and fiscal deficit data—for clearer signals on the trajectory of India’s economic momentum.