Rupee goes from Asia’s worst to best currency as market sees Modi 2019 returning

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Foreigners bought a net $3.3 billion of shares through March 18, accounting for more than half the $5.6 billion of inflows year-to-date, and raised holdings of bonds by $1.4 billion this month

Asia’s worst-performing currency took five weeks to become its best.

The turnaround has been fueled by the improved chances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi winning a second term amid recent tensions between India and Pakistan. The optimism has led to local shares and debt luring robust flows, which have turned the carry-trade returns on the rupee to the highest in the world in the past month.

“The high-yielding rupee will likely advance further if Modi wins a second term,” said Gao Qi, a currency strategist at Scotiabank in Singapore, who expects the currency to rally to 67 per dollar by June-end. A dovish tilt by major central banks in the face of a faltering global expansion could also prompt foreigners to chase higher yields in emerging Asia, he said.

Here’s a graphical look at the state of play in India’s currency market:

Dollars Gush In

Foreigners bought a net $3.3 billion of shares through March 18, accounting for more than half the $5.6 billion of inflows year-to-date, and raised holdings of bonds by $1.4 billion this month. The gush of dollars sent the rupee to its highest level since August, prompting profit-booking that saw the currency posting its first drop in seven sessions on Tuesday.

Gaining Allure

Borrowing in dollars to purchase rupee assets has earned 3.8 percent over the past one month, the best carry-trade return in the world, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Two opinion polls showed Modi’s ruling coalition may get close to the 272 seats needed for majority in elections that begin on April 11. Results are due on May 23.

“The market is pricing in a Modi victory as there are no other factors that explain the sudden change of mood,” said Anindya Banerjee, an analyst at Kotak Securities Ltd. in Mumbai. “On top of that, carry traders are eager to be long rupee and short other low-yielding currencies, including the dollar. It is a get-set-go for the rupee.”

 

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Options Costs

The rupee optimism is also reflected in the derivatives market, where one-month options conferring the right to sell the rupee now cost 19 basis points more than those to buy. That’s down from 148 on Sept. 5, which was the highest since November 2016.

“Global conditions — dovish Fed and ECB — have turned more supportive and domestically, increased confidence in the BJP’s prospects and a recovery in portfolio flows have been the key driver” for the rupee, said Dushyant Padmanabhan, a currency strategist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore.

Swings Ebb

The rupee’s three-month implied volatility, a gauge of expected swings used to price options, fell to 5.87 percent on Friday, the lowest reading since August.

“We expect the rupee to remain resilient in the near term, as bunched up foreign inflows limit any pressure from weakening EMFX sentiment,” Barclays Plc strategist Ashish Agrawal, wrote in a note. “A potential BJP-led coalition victory would bode well for the INR for the rest of this year.”

 

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Disclaimer: RSS has been taken from their official website.

No ‘220 club’ in BJP hoping to replace PM Modi: Nitin Gadkari

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The minister expressed confidence that the development work done by the government would enthuse people to support the BJP and grant them a second term

 

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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said there is no ‘220 club’ in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hoping for a reduced tally, which could see the emergence of an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking to The Times of India, Gadkari rejected any discussion of a possible alternative candidate and asserted that the party will return to power with a full majority under PM Modi’s stewardship.

Gadkari’s name has often been the subject of speculation as an ‘acceptable’ candidate if the saffron party falls significantly short of majority.

The Union minister for Road Transport & Highways told the newspaper: “I don’t do such calculations or have any such expectations, I am a worker of the party. I am sure that the work done under PM Modi will result in a full majority. No such situation is going to happen.”

Gadkari expressed confidence that the development work done by the government would enthuse people to support the BJP and give them a second term.

Most opinion polls between November 2018 and February had shown the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failing to secure a majority on its own. However, recent opinion surveys, conducted after the Pulwama terror attack and Indian Air Force (IAF)’s air strike at Balakot, show the NDA crossing the half-way mark on its own steam.

 

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For months now, reports have suggested that Gadkari — who is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — could be a consensus candidate within the BJP, if the party is required to seek external support to form the government. Speaking to the newspaper, Gadkari rejected the speculation.

Recently, the Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagpur, played an important behind-the-scene role in ensuring the BJP retained power in Goa after the death of then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

 

In 2017 too, after the BJP failed to attain majority in the state Assembly polls, Gadkari had flown down to help the BJP cobble up an alliance with smaller parties in the coastal state, after which a government was formed under Parrikar’s leadership.

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Disclaimer: RSS has been taken from their official website.