Forex reserves fall $8.58 billion to $726.03 billion as on October 9
Why in the news
The Reserve Bank of India’s Weekly Statistical Supplement, released on October 16, 2026, showed foreign exchange reserves dropping by US$8.58 billion to US$726.03 billion in the week ended October 9.
Key facts
- Total reserves: US$726.03 billion (Rs 70,22,417 crore), the fifth consecutive weekly decline.
- Five-week fall: about US$59.7 billion lost since the record high of US$785.71 billion on September 4.
- Foreign currency assets (FCA), the biggest component, dropped US$7.14 billion.
- Reason: RBI dollar sales to smooth rupee volatility amid high crude prices, portfolio outflows and strong dollar demand.
- The rupee ended the week at 94.96 per dollar, gaining 1.9%.
| Component | Level (US$ billion) | Weekly change (US$ billion) |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign currency assets | 597.61 | -7.14 |
| Gold | 105.09 | -1.32 |
| Special Drawing Rights | 18.55 | -0.11 |
| Reserve position in IMF | 4.78 | -0.01 |
| Total | 726.03 | -8.58 |
About the Weekly Statistical Supplement
The same release (Press Release 2026-2027/1341) also reported that, as on September 30, 2026, scheduled commercial bank credit rose 19.4% year-on-year, aggregate deposits 17.8% and broad money (M3) 16.9%.
Exam angle
- Remember the four components of reserves: FCA, gold, SDRs and the IMF reserve tranche position.
- FCA is the largest component; gold is the second largest.
- Know the record peak (US$785.71 billion, September 4, 2026) and the latest level.