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Indian Rupee Timeline 2026: Oil, Inflation & RBI

The Indian rupee fell to a series of record lows in 2026 after the March 2026 Iran-US war sent crude oil toward $120/barrel and triggered a record month of FPI…

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STERLING-LINKED RUPEE

The Rupee at Independence

India's rupee operated under a sterling-linked exchange regime at independence, not a free dollar float — its value was set relative to the British pound within the wide…

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MAJOR DEVALUATION

1966 Rupee Devaluation

Facing a balance-of-payments crisis after wars and poor harvests, India devalued the rupee sharply in June 1966 as part of a package tied to external financing support.

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BOP CRISIS & REFORM

Balance-of-Payments Crisis

With reserves down to barely weeks of import cover, India pledged gold as emergency collateral and devalued the rupee in two steps in July 1991, opening the path to econ…

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TAPER TANTRUM

The Rupee's Last Comparable Crisis

A Fed taper signal triggered rapid capital flight; the rupee fell from about ₹53 to ₹68 within months. India's reserves then covered only ~7 months of imports, and the c…

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UKRAINE OIL SHOCK

Russia-Ukraine War Sends Oil Higher

Russia's invasion of Ukraine drove crude oil sharply higher and triggered a global flight to the dollar as the Fed tightened rates — India's import bill rose and the rup…

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WAR & OIL SHOCK

Iran-US War Sends Oil Toward $120

After attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure during the Iran-US war, Brent crude surged toward $120/barrel. The rupee crashed to a record 93.81 on March 20, then 94.83 on…

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RBI'S HEAVY DEFENSE

RBI Deploys Reserves and a $5bn Swap

As the rupee touched fresh record lows near 95.8-96.8, the RBI sold dollars in spot markets (reportedly near $1bn/day), built a forward book of about $106.6bn net-short,…

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STABILIZATION

Rupee Stabilizes Near ₹95-96

By August 25, 2026, USD/INR traded near ₹95.4-95.9 as Brent eased to $90-92 and the Dollar Index softened to its lowest since May. RBI reserves rose for a third straight…

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