The Chinese yuan rose on Monday to reach its highest level against the dollar since January 3, supported by a friendly call between US President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday and by better-than-expected fourth-quarter economic data. At 03:40 GMT, the yuan was up 0.12% to 7.3160 per dollar after trading in a range of 7.3088 to 7.3246. The offshore yuan traded at 7.3257 yuan per dollar, up about 0.24% in Asian trading, marking the highest level in over two weeks

The Indian rupee should start a pivotal week on a slightly positive note, helped by the recovery of the Chinese yuan in the run-up to Donald Trump's inauguration. The 1-month undeliverable futures contract indicated that the rupee would open at 86.50-86.52 per US dollar on Monday, up from its close at 86.61 in the previous session. The rupee is under constant pressure due to capital outflows, higher yields on US Treasuries, uncertainty over Trump's policies, and speculators who are increasing bets against the Asian

The South African rand advanced early on Monday, with markets awaiting the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump and political announcements ahead of a week full of national data releases. At 0655 GMT, the rand traded at 18.6925 against the US dollar, about 0.5% stronger than its previous close. The dollar has recently traded around 0.2% lower against a basket of currencies

The Kenyan shilling was unchanged against the US dollar on Monday, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group. At 0935 GMT, the shilling was trading at 129.25/129.75 per dollar, the same level as at the close of the market on Friday