Long rupee, short Singdollar: strategists

Mumbai

GO long on the Indian rupee while shorting the Singapore dollar. That's emerging as one of the favourite trades for 2017 as strategists make a play on the diverging outlook for the two Asian nations. Less reliance on exports and one of the world's fastest economic growth rates are seen insulating India from any potential protectionist US policies set forth by the Donald Trump administration.

In contrast, trade-dependent Singapore, already under pressure from lower energy prices hurting the oil and gas services sector, may feel more pain. Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB are among global banks favouring the rupee against the Singapore dollar.