Rupee registers gain against US dollar

The Pakistani rupee continued its slight upward trend against the US dollar on Tuesday, with the local currency gaining 0.01% in the interbank market. It closed the day at 277.37 against the greenback, up Re0.03 from the previous day's settlement at 277.40. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen reached fresh seven-month highs against the dollar as traders unwound short positions, anticipating a Bank of Japan interest-rate hike.

The yen surged to 153.53 per dollar, surpassing levels from Japan's July intervention and marking its strongest performance since February. Factors such as expectations of tighter monetary policy in Japan, potential repatriation of Japanese funds, unwinding carry trades, and US political pressure have contributed to the yen's strength.

Meanwhile, other currencies like the euro and British pound also showed gains, strengthening by 0.06% each, settling at $1.1628 and $1.3549 respectively. The market's attention now turns to US inflation data this week, which will be released prior to the Federal Open Market Committee's meeting on September 15-16. Traders now estimate a 60% chance of a Federal Reserve rate hike this month, following a stronger-than-expected nonfarm payrolls report on Friday.

Oil prices, a key factor in determining currency parity, also rose to multi-week highs on Tuesday, as concerns over supply disruption from a possible Middle East conflict escalated after Iran threatened retaliation against any new US attacks on its assets. Brent crude futures climbed $1.25, or 1.3%, to $98.25 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude increased by $2.22, or 2.4%, to $93.70 per barrel.