
This is traditionally considered a warning signal for a recession in the US. For example, the two-year and 10-year US treasury yields have inverted. However, there are some signs in the market that a recession could be coming. Whether the US economy falls into a recession or not remains to be seen. The fears have also driven a safe play in the greenback. However, fears are also growing that the Fed could tip the US economy into recession by hiking too aggressively. Hawkish Federal Reserve bets have been rising for some time. It raised interest rates by 75 basis points (bps) in its July meeting for the second consecutive time. High inflation levels have encouraged the Fed to adopt a more aggressive approach to raising interest rates. The US economy has seen inflation rise to a 40-year high of 9.1% YOY owing to a combination of the fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war, which sent fuel prices surging, and amid supply chain disruptions due to renewed Covid-19 lockdowns in China. However, the price has since corrected slightly and was at 104.65 at the time of writing on 12 August. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been in and out of talks with the country to arrange a bailout package, amid hopes that Sri Lanka’s political problems can be solved. The economic crisis has caused political turmoil, with Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announcing he would resign on Wednesday 13 July to be replaced by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had previously worked under Rajapaksa. The hike in rates comes even as the economy contracts.įurthermore, the recent default on its debt payment will discourage lenders from coming forward with further funds. The fixed deposit rate was also raised to 14.5%, a level last seen in August 2001. The Sri Lankan central bank increased its standing lending facility by 100 basis points to 15.5%. In its latest meeting, the Sri Lankan central bank raised interest rates to the highest level in 20 years to tame surging inflation, despite the economy already sitting in a crisis and the gross domestic product ( GDP) contracting. Inflation has risen to a record high of 60.8% year-over-year ( YOY) as of July, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka warned it could reach as high as 70% in the coming months, prompting it to raise interest rates to address the problem. Food shortages are rife and long periods of blackout have become common. With foreign reserves running low, the country has struggled to finance the import of essentials, such as food and fuel, since last year.įuel reserves have fallen to unprecedented lows, resulting in a sales ban being applied and public transport grinding to a halt. The Sri Lankan government owes more than $50bn, which it cannot repay. However, some economists believe that serious political mismanagement and the racking up of debts with China have also played their part. The government blamed the pandemic for the collapse of the economy. The country has recently been facing its worst financial crisis in over 70 years, culminating in the default of its debt payments. The weak economic picture in Sri Lanka has been dragging on the value of the rupee. Why has the Sri Lankan rupee been falling? The pair has since eased slightly and was trading at 355.06 at the time of writing on 11 August.

However, as the economic crisis began to unfold in Sri Lanka and the US dollar started to strengthen on the Russian-Ukraine war fallout, the USD/LKR jumped to an all-time high of 367 on 12 May.

The USD/LKR started the year around the 200 mark, after steadily climbing across 2021. How has the USD/LKR performed so far this year? Here we look at the latest USD/LKR news and analysts’ predictions for the US dollar to Sri Lankan rupee pair. As economic and political turmoil grip the country, could LKR fall further? Why has the Sri Lankan rupee been falling?Īs of August, the Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) has been one of the worst-performing currencies of 2022.How has the USD/LKR performed so far this year?.Compare various denominations for the US Dollar / Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rate conversion on the 12th September 2022 using the data table below.US30 US Wall Street 30 (USA 30, Dow Jones)
