The falling rupee
Four external reasons why rupee is falling
First, the collapse of Turkish lira and its cascading impact on European banks threatens to become a contagion. Emerging markets felt the tremours as domestic assets in these countries sold off and currency repatriation followed. Argentina panicked and hiked rates sharply.
Second, crude prices first rose sharply and have been consolidating at higher levels for many months now. Oil companies, therefore, have been buying more dollars than they would normally have.
Third, US rate hikes and prospects of further hikes have been exerting pressure on domestic debt markets as foreign investors look to exit this category of the asset class.
Fourth, the trade war between the US and its major trading partners is turning out to have a secondary effect among emerging markets via currency weakness and protectionist reactions. more