Rupee slide forces analysts to rework forecasts amid widening trade deficit

The relentless slide in India’s rupee has analysts rushing to rework their forecasts. With the currency setting one record low after another, lenders including DBS Bank Ltd. are now predicting it will slide to as weak as 75 per dollar.

India’s trade deficit for August is likely to remain at $17 billion to $18 billion, while the Federal Reserve is set to raise rates again this month, both of which will weigh on the rupee, Philip Wee, a senior currency strategist at DBS, wrote in a note. UBS Securities India Pvt. cut its year-end forecast to 73 from 66, while