Rupee falls! Weakening for 3rd straight session!!

Mumbai: Weakening for the third straight session, the rupee lost 30 paise to close at over two-month low of 86.73 against the US dollar on Thursday, weighed down by a strong American currency and rising crude oil prices, reports PTI.

Forex traders said the rupee depreciated for the third consecutive day, logging a loss of 69 paise, primarily due to prevailing risk-averse market sentiment and dollar demand from importers, fuelled by ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.

Moreover, muted domestic equity markets and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also pressurised the rupee, they added.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit witnessed intense volatility. It opened at 86.54 against the greenback and touched an intra-day high of 86.49 and a low of 86.89 against the greenback during the day.

At the end of Thursday's trading session, the local unit was at 86.73, down 30 paise over its previous closing price. The Indian currency had earlier hit this level on April 9 when it closed at 86.68 against the greenback.

On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 9 paise to close at 86.43 against the US dollar.

"We expect the rupee to trade with a negative bias as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East may pressure the domestic currency. Strong US dollar and rising global crude oil prices may also put downside pressure on the rupee," Anuj Choudhary – Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said, adding that the USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of 86.50 to 87.20.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading higher by 0.02 per cent at 98.92 on safe-haven demand, but momentum remained capped as investors digested the Fed's reluctance to act decisively.

According to Dilip Parmar, Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, the rupee extended its decline for the third consecutive day, driven by persistent geopolitical uncertainty and a hawkish stance from the US Federal Reserve.

"This downward trend is further exacerbated by a strengthening US dollar index and surging crude oil prices, which are weighing heavily on the local currency this week," Parmar said, adding, "The rupee's depreciation may continue in the near term, with the USD-INR pair potentially heading towards the 87 to 87.50 range".

The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold despite Donald Trump's demand to cut them by 250 bps.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.25 per cent to USD 76.89 per barrel in futures trade.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 82.79 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 81,361.87, while the Nifty fell 18.80 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 24,793.25.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 934.62 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data.