Rupee’s Performance Against US Dollar Since 04 March 2025
The Pakistani rupee maintained its positive momentum against the US dollar, appreciating marginally in the inter-bank market on Friday.
At close, the rupee settled at 281.55, a gain of Re0.01 against the greenback. This was the rupee’s 26th successive gain against the greenback.
On Thursday, the local unit closed at 281.56.
Internationally, the US dollar remained under pressure on Friday as a surge in US jobless claims and a modest tick up in inflation kept investors zeroed in on likely Federal Reserve interest rate cuts next week and beyond.
The dollar index was last trading at 97.585, having snapped a two-day winning streak on Thursday and on track to record its second consecutive weekly decline.
On Thursday, data showed the biggest weekly increase in the number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits in four years.
That overshadowed US consumer inflation data for August, which showed prices rising at the fastest pace in seven months but still modest and broadly in line with expectations.
While the mixed data might add some wrinkles to the Fed’s policy deliberations next week, investor focus is mostly centred on rate cut prospects for now.
According to the CME Group’s Fedwatch tool, traders are reining in bets on a jumbo 50 bps rate cut next month. Pricing implies a shallower path of easing before the end of the year than anticipated earlier.
Against the yen, the US dollar was trading flat at 147.27 yen, little changed after the US and Japanese governments issued a joint statement on Friday, which reaffirmed that exchange rates should be “market determined” and that excess volatility and disorderly moves in exchange rates were undesirable.
Oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, steadied on Friday as concern about oversupply and weaker US demand were offset by supply disruption risks from conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Brent crude futures rose 11 cents, or 0.2%, to $66.49 a barrel by 0854 GMT and US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 4 cents to $62.41.
The Brent and WTI benchmarks fell by 1.7% and 2% respectively on Thursday.
