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- RBI broadens Rupee defence beyond dollar sales , turns to tighter monetary conditions : Report
According to a source cited by Reuters, the RBI is in calibrated tightening mode across the board and will keep assessing further steps, including liquidity measures. It could discuss a 50-basis-point rate hike at its December review if inflation warrants front-loading, a possibility HSBC and State Bank of India have also flagged. Since March, the RBI has mobilised about $150 billion through inflow-attracting measures, while continued dollar sales have drawn down reserves and the cost of betting against the rupee has hit a five-year high. Domestic bond yields have risen 45 to 60 basis points since early September, and overseas investors have sold nearly $33 billion of Indian equities this year. Analysts warn that rapid tightening could slow growth, as nearly 60% of loans are linked to external benchmarks such as the policy rate and would reprice quickly.
- Pakistan foreign exchange reserves rise by $16 million in a week
Pakistan's total foreign exchange reserves rose by $16 million during the week to $26.86 billion, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data. The SBP's own reserves climbed to $21.47 billion, while commercial banks held $5.3938 billion. Total liquid foreign exchange reserves, including both, reached $26.8633 billion. Reserves are used to support international payments and help meet external financing requirements.
- Dollar to Naira exchange rate today , October 16 , 2026
The Nigerian Naira stayed relatively stable against the US Dollar in both official and parallel markets. On the official NFEM, the Naira traded around N1,331.09 per Dollar in early morning spot trading, supported by steady FX liquidity injections and elevated external reserves that backed Central Bank of Nigeria interventions. In the parallel market, Bureau De Change dealers in Lagos and Abuja quoted buying rates of N1,355 to N1,365 and selling rates of N1,375 to N1,390 per Dollar, keeping the spread between channels narrow. Analysts attribute the stability to moderated speculative activity and steady FX inflows.
- Nigeria FX demand hits $18 . 34bn as services surge
Nigeria's foreign exchange utilisation rose to $18.34bn in the second quarter of 2026, its highest level in nearly 15 years, according to the Financial Markets Dealers Association. Financial services accounted for $9.64bn, or 52.58%, of that demand, while invisible transactions made up 72.19% of total utilisation. Import-related demand fell 1.49% to $5.10bn, and autonomous FX inflows rose to $23.31bn, lifting net FX flows to $22.50bn, the highest since the fourth quarter of 2019. Meanwhile, direct central bank FX sales fell 66.73% to $418.08m, and the CBN sold just $1.67bn in the first half of 2026, its lowest half-year amount since 2008.
- India Forex Reserves Fall $8 . 6 Billion To $726 Billion As RBI Defends Rupee
India's forex reserves fell $8.6 billion to $726 billion in the week ended October 9, marking their fifth straight weekly decline as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervened to stabilise the rupee. The cumulative fall over five weeks is about $59.7 billion, after reserves hit a record $785.71 billion on September 4. The drop reflects high crude oil prices, foreign portfolio outflows and persistent dollar demand. The rupee closed at 94.96 per dollar on Friday, up 1.9% for the week, after nearly hitting a record low of 96.96 earlier in October. The RBI has rolled out measures including a dedicated dollar window for state oil marketers, tighter forex derivatives rules and a risk reserve requirement, though these cannot eliminate underlying dollar demand.
- $60 billion in 6 weeks : RBI rupee defence comes at a cost
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Latest news
- Financial System Report (October 2026)
The Bank of Japan's October 2026 Financial System Report assesses that the system remains broadly stable: banks have enough capital and stable funding to withstand a global financial crisis-level stress or a compound shock of higher oil prices, weaker AI expectations and a sharp rise in interest rates. Close monitoring is warranted for the Middle East, the profitability and financing of AI investment, and foreign non-bank financial intermediaries (NBFIs). Stock prices remain above trend, though P/E ratios are broadly around their average levels since 2008 as expected earnings rise. Longer term, declining loan demand from population decline could weaken bank profits and loss-absorbing capacity, raising the risk of either contraction or overheating in lending. The report also examines the effects of energy and raw material prices and rate hikes on SMEs and households, and cybersecurity threats from frontier AI.
- If the AI Bubble Bursts, These Stocks Will Be Winners
AI-linked stocks fell again: CoreWeave dropped to its lowest level since shortly after its IPO as its bond yields reached as high as 15%, the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.6% on Thursday, and Meta tumbled 7% despite strong earnings after posting its first quarter of negative free cash flow in its history amid surging AI infrastructure spending. The 10-year yield fell 3.8% to 4.95%, its first time below 5% in a month, and is down 7% over two weeks, which may reflect a shift from stocks into bonds. Homebuilder stocks rose, with the State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) up 3.8%, and Pool Corporation, RH, and Lennar gaining 14.4%, 9.5%, and 9%. Investors now see a 93% chance the Fed holds rates at 375-400 basis points, after weak September jobs growth and cooler-than-expected August PCE inflation. The author sees this as another sign that investors are looking for the next set of winners after AI.
- Alkane Resources - Quarterly Report - September 2026
Alkane Resources' quarterly report for the September 2026 quarter (Q1 FY27) shows gold-equivalent production of 40,740 AuEq oz at an AISC of $2,805/AuEq oz, with mine operating cash flow of $102 million and gold-equivalent sales of 38,348 oz generating $206 million in revenue at an average gold price of $5,128/oz. The company reaffirmed FY27 production guidance of 163-177koz gold equivalent at an AISC of $2,900-$3,200 per ounce. Cash, bullion and listed investments totalled $459 million after $13 million in income tax payments, with final FY26 income tax payments of $55-60 million expected in the December quarter. Alkane paid its maiden fully franked dividend of 2 cents per share and approved a $50 million buyback in September 2026. CEO Nic Earner said AISC came in below the full-year cost guidance range.
- SSI forecasts when PNJ's profit will return to the VND 1,000 billion mark
SSI forecasts PNJ's net revenue at VND 39,100 billion in 2026, VND 43,400 billion in 2027 and VND 57,700 billion in 2029, while after-tax profit is forecast at minus VND 6,300 billion in 2026, rising to VND 1,200 billion in 2028. The company holds large inventory, with diamonds making up 52%, and may need to set aside additional provisions for inventory write-downs if gold prices fall. Under SSI's estimated scenario, PNJ's additional repurchase obligation could be about VND 16,800 billion; to ease short-term liquidity pressure, the company plans to issue up to 550 million shares to raise VND 8,000 billion. Preliminary Q3/2026 results show a net loss of VND 258 billion, compared with a profit of VND 496 billion a year earlier. SSI continues to keep PNJ's stock at “Under review”.
- Ethereum delays Glamsterdam Hoodi testnet launch over security risks
Ethereum has postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, originally scheduled for Oct. 26, so developers can examine how EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 interact with deployed smart contracts. ChainSecurity warned that the two proposals could weaken safeguards against insufficient gas griefing, potentially letting contracts permanently record failed operations and blocking otherwise valid user actions. The firm said it identified 13 real-world examples of potentially affected contracts and is coordinating responsible disclosure with the projects involved, without naming them. Security researcher pcaversaccio called the risks “serious” in an Oct. 21 GitHub comment and urged a reassessment of the hard fork. The mainnet timeline, which developers had been considering for early December, is now uncertain.
- Proposed 0.2% tax on idle land and land left unused or slow to be put to use
On the morning of October 23, the National Assembly heard the government's proposal and the review report on draft amendments to several tax laws, including the Law on Non-Agricultural Land Use Tax. The government proposes a 0.2% tax rate, with no area limit, for idle land and land that is not or is slowly being put to use, to institutionalize Resolution 21-NQ/TW. The Economic and Financial Committee agrees in principle but says the proposal conflicts with the current law, which applies 0.15% to unused land, and with the draft amended Land Law. It warns of possible double financial obligations for investment projects that leave land unused or slow to use it, and asks the drafting agency to clarify the basis, timeline and relationship with land use fees and land rental payments.
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