CURRENCY OVERVIEW

The Rupee opened stronger on Wednesday, taking comfort from a softer dollar after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell struck a dovish tone that reinforced bets more interest rate cuts were on the way. Powell kept the door ajar for further rate cuts and said the Fed's balance sheet unwind could soon hit pause. He flagged that the labour market is losing momentum, with hiring and payroll additions moderating, and warned that delayed policy moves could amplify job losses given the longer lags now at play. MUFG Bank called Powell's remarks dovish, saying that his comments had firmed up expectations for a couple of additional rate cuts this year. Futures have locked in a 25 basis-point rate cut for this month, with odds high for a repeat reduction in December. The dollar index slipped further in Asia on Wednesday after Tuesday's pullback. Regional equities and U.S. futures advanced, while the 10-year Treasury yields dropped to near 4%. Asian currencies rose 0.2% to 0.4%. The broader Asia tone should provide the rupee a bit of a tailwind at open, said a trader with a private sector bank. The U.S. dollar was on the defensive early on Wednesday after comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell bolstered wagers on an interest rate cut this month. The greenback had lost ground to the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc on Tuesday as Washington and Beijing traded volleys in a simmering tariff spat. The euro had also gained on the dollar after the French government proposed suspending landmark pension reforms. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against those three peers along with three others, was flat at 99.055 as of 0011 GMT, after declining 0.2% in the prior session. The greenback was steady at 151.80 yen , following a 0.3% slide on Tuesday, and was little changed at 0.8013 franc , having dropped 0.3% overnight. The euro held firm at $1.1606 after gaining 0.3% in the previous session. Powell left the door open to cutting rates at the Fed's policy meeting on October 28-29 by saying the labor market remains mired in its low-hiring, low-firing doldrums, and that the absence of official economic data due to the government shutdown has not prevented policymakers from being able to assess the economic outlook, at least for now. The Aussie edged up 0.1% to $0.6491, after falling 0.5% a day earlier, when it touched the lowest since August 22 at $0.64405.  Oil prices fell in early trade on Wednesday, extending losses from the previous session, as investors weighed the International Energy Agency's warning of a supply surplus in 2026 and U.S.-China trade tensions that could hurt demand. Brent crude futures fell 12 cents, or 0.19%, to $62.27 a barrel by 0021 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures declined by 10 cents, or 0.17%, to $58.60.

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