Jan 23 (Reuters) - The downward spiral of BRICS nations' currencies has brought some to record lows and pushed others towards points where the risks of disorderly movements could grow, a development that policymakers would find difficult to control.

Brazil's real and the Indian rupee have traded record lows this year while China's yuan is on the cusp of an all-time low versus the dollar.

South Africa's rand dropped perilously close to a record low against the dollar a few days ago, while the rouble - largely untouchable outside Russia - slumped to its worst point since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

With liquidity set to diminish should these currencies slide into unknown territory for which few traders and investors are prepared, all are at risk of much deeper declines.

While China and India have the means to better support their currencies, South Africa's currency reserves are negligible and Brazil's $282 billion stockpile could be insufficient.

Russian reserves have dropped by $83 billion during the war in Ukraine, while India's much bigger reserve has recently dropped by $80 billion, but intervention has made little impression on the rupee.

Currency moves that would once have been deemed a crisis are not being viewed in the same way now and without efforts like those taken to halt such moves in the past, these declines are likely to endure.

Should a trade spat influenced by the new U.S. president intensify, the resulting demand for dollars could result in a rapid decline for a growing number of emerging currencies on the brink of record lows. This includes several higher profile currencies like the Turkish lira, Hungarian forint, Malaysian ringgit, Philippine peso, and Indonesian rupiah.

(Jeremy Boulton is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

((jeremy.boulton@thomsonreuters.com))