Key Points
Forex reserves drop to $638.7 billion in latest week
RBI intervenes to prevent sharp Rupee depreciation
Reserves about 10% lower from September peak
Sufficient to cover 10-11 months of imports
In the week under consideration, the foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 1.781 billion to USD 638.698 billion.
Forex reserves had slumped for about four months, recently hitting an 11-month low. Then followed the latest rollercoaster movement, with gains some weeks and declines the next.
Forex reserves started falling after touching an all-time high of USD 704.89 billion in September. They are now about 10 percent lower from their peak.
The decline in reserves is most likely due to RBI intervention, aimed at preventing a sharp depreciation of the Rupee. The Indian Rupee is now at or near its all-time low against the US dollar.
The latest RBI data showed that India's foreign currency assets (FCA), the largest component of forex reserves, stood at USD 543.350 billion.
Gold reserves currently amount to USD 73.272 billion, according to RBI data.
Estimates suggest that India's foreign exchange reserves are sufficient to cover approximately 10-11 months of projected imports.
In 2023, India added around USD 58 billion to its foreign exchange reserves, contrasting with a cumulative decline of USD 71 billion in 2022. In 2024, the reserves rose by a little over USD 20 billion.
Foreign exchange reserves, or FX reserves, are assets held by a nation's central bank or monetary authority, primarily in reserve currencies such as the US Dollar, with smaller portions in the Euro, Japanese Yen, and Pound Sterling.
The RBI often intervenes by managing liquidity, including selling dollars, to prevent steep Rupee depreciation. The RBI strategically buys dollars when the Rupee is strong and sells when it weakens.
