The USD/INR currency pair is currently holding around the 71.45 level, but further dovish tone from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could exert upside bias to the pair, according to the latest research report from Commerzbank.
The new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das surprised with a 25bp rate cut to 6.25 percent against expectations of no change. Governor Das is the third RBI Governor in three years following the abrupt resignation of Urjit Patel last December.
The rates market was not pricing in any move with the 3-month overnight swaps holding around 6.57 percent before the decision. On paper, there was seemingly a case for RBI to shift to a neutral stance or at least tone down its current “calibrated tightening” bias.
This is because headline inflation slipped to the low 2 percent level in Q4 2018, at the lower end of RBI’s 2-6 percent target range. However, it did catch the market by surprise as to how swiftly the new governor acted.
It effectively ignored the core inflation reading which was still at the upper end of the band, at 5.7 percent in 2018. As such, RBI’s independence could once again be questioned by the markets.


Trump Calls for Zelenskyy Replacement Amid Russian Diesel Deal
Mike Rogers Calls for End to US-Canada Tariff War
Oil Prices Trim Gains After Trump Rules Out Iran Strikes Before Midterms
Gold Prices Rise Above $4,200 as Russia-Ukraine Energy Truce Eases Oil Concerns
Wall Street Falls as Oil Prices Rise and Tech Stocks Slide
Gold Prices Fall Amid Rate Jitters; Copper Steady as China Stimulus Eyed
US Stock Futures Rise as Oil Prices Fall Ahead of Q3 Earnings
US, EU Push for Action Against Asia’s Excess Factory Capacity
US Dollar Near 18-Month High Ahead of Inflation Data
Gold Prices Rise as Dollar Weakens, Treasury Yields Fall 



