The Indian rupee crossed the ₹90 per US dollar mark for the first time in its history, touching a historic low driven primarily by massive Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) outflows from Indian equity markets. In the preceding weeks, FPIs withdrew approximately $17 billion from Indian equities — the largest outflow in nearly two decades — reflecting global risk-off sentiment, rising US dollar strength on the back of higher US interest rates, and concerns about India's corporate earnings outlook.

The rupee's depreciation has far-reaching implications for India's import-dependent economy. India imports roughly 85% of its crude oil requirements, so a weaker rupee directly inflates the import bill, contributing to higher fuel prices and broader inflationary pressures. Other import-intensive sectors — edible oils, electronics components, fertilisers, and gold — also face cost escalation. The current account deficit (CAD) is expected to widen as import costs rise faster than export revenue.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) faced a policy dilemma over whether and how aggressively to intervene in the forex market. Proponents of intervention argued that the RBI should sell dollars to stabilise the rupee and contain import inflation. Critics contended that excessive intervention depletes foreign exchange reserves and that market forces should determine the exchange rate. India's forex reserves had dipped from a peak of over $700 billion to approximately $687.2 billion amid RBI interventions.

The episode has reignited the debate on India's structural vulnerability to external shocks given its dependence on hydrocarbon imports. Analysts noted that currency weakness, while hurting importers, provides a competitive advantage to India's export sectors — IT services, pharmaceuticals, and textiles — which earn in foreign currency.