Rupee marginally appreciates against US dollar

The Pakistani rupee registered marginal improvement against the US dollar, appreciating 0.04% in the inter-bank market on Friday.

At close, the currency settled at 278.57, a gain of Re0.11 against the US dollar.

On Thursday, the rupee had settled at 278.68 against the US dollar, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

In recent months, the domestic currency has largely been around 277-279 as traders keep an eye on progress with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board over a new $7-billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

Internationally, the US dollar sagged near a one-week low versus major peers on Friday with job market indicators sending mixed signals ahead of crucial monthly payrolls data later in the day that is almost certain to set the pace for Federal Reserve policy easing.

The dollar index, which gauges the currency against a basket of six key counterparts, was steady at 101.03 as of 0015 GMT, after slipping about 0.2% overnight and touching 100.96 for the first time since Aug. 29.

For the week, it has dropped close to 0.7%.

What the Fed makes of the numbers will be almost immediately obvious, with both Governor Christopher Waller and New York Fed President John Williams separately taking to the podium in the final Fedspeak before the blackout period begins ahead of this month’s policy gathering.

Traders currently see 40% odds for a super-sized 50-basis point (bp) Fed interest rate cut on Sept. 18, versus 60% probability of a quarter-point reduction, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool. A day earlier, wagers on the larger cut stood at 44%, but a week ago it was 34%.

Oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, ticked up in Asian trading on Friday, with investors exercising caution ahead of key US employment data as they weighed a big withdrawal from US crude inventories and a delay to production hikes by OPEC+ producers.

Brent crude futures rose 13 cents to $72.82 by 0507 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 12 cents, or 0.17%, to $69.27.

Inter-bank market rates for dollar on Friday

BID Rs 278.57

OFFER Rs 278.77

Open-market movement

In the open market, the PKR gained 23.00 paisa for buying and lost 69.00 paisa for selling against USD, closing at 279.10 and 280.94, respectively.

Against Euro, the PKR lost 93.00 paisa for buying and 1.83 rupee for selling, closing at 309.23 and 312.34, respectively.

Against UAE Dirham, the PKR gained 23.00 paisa for buying and lost 19.00 paisa for selling, closing at 75.75 and 76.49, respectively.

Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR gained 19.00 paisa for buying and lost 17.00 paisa for selling, closing at 74.00 and 74.72, respectively.

Open-market rates for dollar on Friday

BID Rs 279.10

OFFER Rs 280.94