CONVEX
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▍ STATISTICAL PROJECTION · YEAR-END 2026

Based on current macro regime conditions and usd/inr's historical behaviour in similar regimes, the model projects 97.65 by 2026-12-31 ( +3.3% from 94.49 today). The 68% confidence range is 92.57 to 102.73; the wider 95% range is 87.7 to 107.6. Methodology below the headline.

Central Estimate
97.65
+3.3% vs current 94.49
68% Range (±1σ)
92.57 to 102.73
95% Range (±1.96σ)
87.7 to 107.6
Blended from 4 regime anchors· sample-weighted
VIX · Normal (15-25)
+4.3%n=3,017 · w=43%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve · Flat (0-100bps)
+3.9%n=2,114 · w=30%
HY OAS Spread · Tight (<350bps)
+5.4%n=913 · w=13%
Trade-Weighted Dollar · Weak (bottom tercile)
+10.0%n=997 · w=14%
METHOD: CENTRAL = SAMPLE-WEIGHTED MEAN OF PER-ANCHOR CURRENT-REGIME 1Y AVERAGES, SCALED TO 164-DAY HORIZON. BAND = ±σ√T USING 6.7% ANNUALIZED REALIZED VOL.
EXPECTED TO BE 97.65 BY 2026-12-31 (HIGHER FROM 94.49 ON 2026-05-08). NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
▍ MODEL · STATISTICAL FORECAST · 2026

USD/INR Forecast 2026

Quantitative analysis from 6,258 observations of USD/INR history, joined to four universal macro regime classifications. Numbers are computed, not narrated.

ByConvex Research Desk·Edited byBen Bleier·
DEXINUS · LAST
94.49
AS OF 2026-05-08
Percentile · 25Y History
99.9th
▍ HEADLINE SIGNAL · CONTRARIAN BULLISH
Hist. Avg +252d
+10.0%
vs +2.8% unconditional · +7.1%pp above
When Trade-Weighted Dollar sits in its Weak (bottom tercile) regime — as it does today (118.04) — USD/INR has historically returned an average of +9.95% over the next 252 trading days, 7.1pp above the all-history average of +2.84%. Sample: 997 observations, 79.6% hit rate.
METHOD: PERCENTILE-RANK MATCHED, LOOK-AHEAD-BIAS-FREE·NOT A FORECAST·HISTORICAL CONDITIONAL AVERAGE

Regime Scan[01/04]

VIX
Normal (15-25)
+4.3%+1Y AVG
Δ +1.5%pp · n=3,017
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Flat (0-100bps)
+3.9%+1Y AVG
Δ +1.0%pp · n=2,114
HY OAS Spread
Tight (<350bps)
+5.4%+1Y AVG
Δ +2.6%pp · n=913
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Weak (bottom tercile)
+10.0%+1Y AVG
Δ +7.1%pp · n=997

Δ = divergence from +2.8% unconditional all-history average

Performance by Window[02]

WINDOWNANN RETANN VOLRET/VOLHIT %TOTAL
1Y25110.30%4.91%2.1054.0%10.30%
3Y7514.83%3.67%1.3249.9%15.18%
5Y1,2515.18%4.11%1.2650.3%28.72%
10Y2,4983.55%4.93%0.7248.5%41.66%
All6,2582.84%6.66%0.4347.1%101.13%

Annualized total return = (1 + total)^(1/years) - 1. Ret/Vol is the annualized return divided by annualized volatility (Sharpe-equivalent without risk-free subtraction). Hit % = pct of single periods that were positive.

Where We Are Now[03]

Percentile Rank
99.9th
38.48median 60.2195.32
Current value 94.4900 on a 6,258-observation history going back to Oct 9, 2007.
Volatility Regime
normal
6.00%REALIZED 30D ANN
Sits at the 62.6th percentile vs full history. Median 5.12%.

Forward Returns by Macro Regime[04]

How USD/INR has performed historically conditional on the prevailing macro regime. The current bucket is highlighted; +1Y averages drive the headline signal above.

VIX
Volatility regime: Low (<15), Normal (15-25), Elevated (25-40), Extreme (>40)
CURRENT: 17.26 Normal (15-25)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Low (<15)2,0770.33%0.92%1.98%2.56%67.1%
Normal (15-25)3,0170.37%1.41%4.33%3.08%71.1%
Elevated (25-40)9380.35%0.48%1.93%0.42%52.8%
Extreme (>40)1910.63%0.07%-3.75%-4.70%13.1%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Yield curve regime: Inverted (<0bps), Flat (0-100bps), Steep (>100bps)
CURRENT: 0.50 Flat (0-100bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Inverted (<0bps)781-0.08%-0.56%-1.14%1.35%71.6%
Flat (0-100bps)2,1140.40%1.39%3.89%4.01%73.7%
Steep (>100bps)3,3370.44%1.25%3.28%1.56%58.7%
HY OAS Spread
Credit regime: Tight (<350bps), Normal (350-500bps), Stressed (>500bps)
CURRENT: 2.76 Tight (<350bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Tight (<350bps)9130.78%2.14%5.44%5.16%95.9%
Normal (350-500bps)1,3610.35%1.21%3.79%3.30%87.2%
Stressed (>500bps)5510.20%0.38%-0.21%-0.75%44.6%
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Dollar regime: bottom/middle/top tercile of trailing 5Y rolling distribution
CURRENT: 118.04 Weak (bottom tercile)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Weak (bottom tercile)9970.69%2.63%9.95%9.94%79.6%
Neutral (middle)1,2310.88%2.29%5.63%6.69%74.4%
Strong (top tercile)2,6040.26%0.78%2.17%2.32%72.5%

Forward returns are forward-looking from each historical observation in the bucket; +252d corresponds to one trading year. Buckets with fewer than 5 forward-return observations are reported as n/a. These are conditional historical averages, not forecasts.

Lead-Lag Relationships[05]

For each universally-recognised leading indicator, the lag at which the daily-return correlation peaks. Positive lag means the anchor leads USD/INR; negative means it lags.

ANCHORROLEPEAK LAGPEAK CORRZERO-LAGRELATIONSHIP
Trade-Weighted DollarFX driver0d0.4230.423coincident
CopperGlobal growth proxy0d-0.214-0.214coincident
HY OAS SpreadCredit risk leader0d0.2120.212coincident
VIXVolatility leader0d0.1560.156coincident
Initial Jobless ClaimsLabor leader+3d-0.1150.072weak
10Y Treasury YieldDiscount-rate driver0d-0.090-0.090weak
NFCIFinancial conditions-18d-0.0760.005weak
Baa-10Y SpreadCredit risk (slow)0d0.0610.061weak
10Y-2Y Yield SpreadRecession leader-57d-0.026-0.018weak
U-Mich Consumer SentimentSurvey leader0d0.0000.000weak

Pearson correlation of daily returns over up to 25 years of overlapping history, searched across a ±60-day lag grid. Indicators classified as “weak” don't have meaningful predictive power at daily resolution; many of these (yield curve, NFCI, sentiment) lead at monthly/quarterly horizons instead.

Historical Analogs[06]

Periods where USD/INR sat at a similar percentile rank to today, with what happened over the next 30 / 90 / 252 trading days. Analogs are clustered to avoid double-counting nearby dates.

DATEVALUE+30D+90D+1Y
May 7, 202584.82002.07%3.81%n/a
Feb 6, 202587.5700-1.78%-1.74%3.43%
Nov 8, 202484.34000.95%1.45%5.12%
Aug 9, 202483.9200-0.46%1.39%4.24%
May 10, 202483.5400-0.17%0.17%2.09%

Worst Historical Drawdown[07]

-21.58%PEAK-TO-TROUGH
Peak May 23, 2002 → trough Oct 9, 2007. Recovered to prior peak on Oct 21, 2008 (378 days).
All-time high: 95.3200 on May 5, 2026 · Current DD from ATH: -0.87%

Cross-Asset Correlations · 1Y[08]

S&P 500
-0.038
n=240
Nasdaq 100
-0.023
n=240
20Y Treasury
-0.088
n=240
Gold
-0.118
n=240
Bitcoin
0.106
n=242

Largest Single-Period Moves[09]

▲ Up
  • Nov 12, 20084.02%
  • Aug 28, 20133.86%
  • Jul 28, 20083.45%
  • Aug 27, 20133.08%
  • Sep 3, 20133.04%
▼ Down
  • Sep 14, 2012-3.69%
  • May 18, 2009-3.65%
  • Aug 29, 2013-3.27%
  • Nov 4, 2008-2.80%
  • Sep 19, 2013-2.54%

Calendar-Month Seasonality[10]

Average single-period return aggregated by the calendar month in which the period ended.

MONTHAVG RETURNHIT %N
January-0.01%46.2%504
February0.02%45.8%478
March-0.02%43.5%552
April0.00%47.3%537
May0.05%51.0%522
June0.02%49.1%530
July0.01%47.0%530
August0.05%48.9%554
September0.00%48.0%510
October0.01%46.1%531
November0.02%47.9%486
December-0.02%44.9%523

N = 6,258 OBS · GENERATED 2026-05-18 13:00Z

Forecast Approach

regime implied: The current macro regime classification (Goldilocks, Reflation, Stagflation, or Deflation) dictates the expected direction and magnitude of movement, calibrated against historical regime performance.

Key Drivers & Risks

  • Macro regime
  • Monetary policy
  • Risk appetite

Historical Volatility

Moderate

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors could push USD/INR higher?

The primary drivers that tend to lift USD/INR depend on the current macro regime. Emerging markets amplify every dollar and rate cycle. Central banks in Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey have typically led the Fed by months, cutting or hiking before the U.S. does. FX volatility vs the dollar is the dominant driver of EM equity and debt returns, so tracking local rates, inflation, and currency together is essential for separating idiosyncratic stress from generic dollar strength. Convex tracks these drivers live across the EM FX category and flags when multiple forces align in the same direction. See the "Key Drivers & Risks" section on this page for the current list, and check the regime dashboard for how the macro backdrop is currently tilted.

What factors could push USD/INR lower?

The same transmission channels that drive USD/INR higher operate in reverse when conditions flip. The risk drivers listed above map directly to scenarios that, if triggered, would pull this metric in the opposite direction. Convex aggregates these into a scenario-weighted probability distribution rather than a point forecast, so the magnitude depends on which scenarios activate.

Where does consensus see USD/INR heading?

Rather than publish a point target that goes stale the day after release, Convex assembles consensus from the macro regime classification, active scenario probabilities, and historical base rates. Point forecasts from banks and strategists are worth reading for context, but they typically cluster around the consensus and miss the tail events that actually move markets. The scenario-weighted approach here captures that tail risk explicitly.

What is the historical range for USD/INR?

Historical ranges for USD/INR vary dramatically by regime. A level that is extreme in Goldilocks can be routine in Stagflation, and vice versa. The Historical Volatility section on this page describes the typical range and regime-specific behavior. For the full multi-decade history, visit the USD/INR chart page, which includes selectable time ranges up to five years and downloadable data.

How often is the USD/INR forecast updated?

This forecast page recalculates whenever the underlying data or regime classification changes, typically within hours of new data releases. The scenario probabilities refresh daily as the macro state is regenerated. Specific drivers listed on this page reflect the current state of the Convex regime engine, not static historical assumptions.

Is this forecast actionable for trading?

Convex forecasts are informational and educational. They describe probability distributions and regime-conditional paths rather than specific entry and exit levels. Traders and portfolio managers use them alongside other inputs including position sizing rules, risk management, and their own conviction calibration. They are not investment advice.

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Forecasts are model-based projections derived from current regime classification, scenario probabilities, and historical patterns. They are not investment advice. All investments involve risk.