Economy

Is the rupee ‘out of control’?

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As the battered rupee slumped to yet another lifetime low of 64.56 to the dollar on Wednesday, analysts say the selling is getting out of hand and the currency could fall to 70 in the coming months.

Foreign investors have yanked money out of India in recent months amid fears over the winding down of U.S. monetary stimulus and deteriorating economic conditions in the country.

The rupee has been one of the world's worst performing currencies this year, slumping 18.6 percent since the start of the year.

(Read more: For Indians living abroad, rupee's plunge is great news)

Keagan York, head of currency strategy at Sydney's Compass Global Markets, said the rupee was going into free fall.

"I wouldn't touch it right now," said York. "If you are an importer looking to buy Indian goods, I'd wait, as they are just going to get cheaper and cheaper."

Many analysts are now calling for levels as low as 70 to the dollar over the next few months, a decline of over 9 percent from current levels.

Lasanka Perera, managing director at Global FX Partners, said the rupee is now "out of control."

(Read more: Distant bright spot for India's battered rupee?)

"We've got high inflation, continual downgrades in growth and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has failed to create stability and confidence around that currency. As long as there is no change I think 70 (to the dollar) is well within reach," he said.

The silver lining in Indian rupee's slide
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The silver lining in Indian rupee's slide

India has been gripped by a mood of crisis in recent weeks, despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reassurances on Saturday that the country was not headed for a 1991-style balance of payments crisis.

On Thursday, the country's central bank governor Duvvuri Subbarao said the rupee was undervalued and that it will continue to take measures to curb volatility in the foreign exchange market. But he ruled out targeting a specific level.

A key part of the problem seems to be that investors have lost confidence in India's central bank, after it made a number of confusing moves that were seen as policy "flip-flops."

(Read more: India's rupee hits record lows, here's what it means)

Late on Tuesday, the RBI announced plans to inject 80 billion rupees ($1.3 billion) into the country's banking system by buying long-term government bonds among other steps, which industry watchers say contradicts its recent tightening moves including the imposition of capital controls last week to prop up the rupee.

"The RBI policy moves are sending mixed signals. They cannot control both yields and FX. They are trying to control too much and are losing credibility," said Nizim Idris, head of strategy, fixed income and strategies at Macquarie Bank. Idris has revised his forecast for dollar-rupee to 70 by year-end, versus a previous forecast of 64-65.

Idris said the RBI's latest move to buy bonds in a bid to reduce government debt yields, which have hit 9.48 percent on the 10-year bond, could have a reverse effect.

(Read more: Indian rupee hits record low; capital control fears grow)

"To attract capital back into India, investors need to see value and value should come from wider real bond rates through higher yields. By buying bonds they are actually reducing the bond market's value, and subsidizing foreigners who are exiting the market," he noted.

Compass' York said he did not see the rupee moving quite as low as 70 to the dollar, but is sticking to his forecast of 68 by the end of the year. He said a silver lining is that the weaker rupee should provide a boost to Indian exporters.

"I expect it (the rupee) will see a bit of resistance at that level (68 to the dollar) as India should see a pick-up in manufacturing," he said.

— By CNBC's Katie Holliday: Follow her on Twitter @hollidaykatie