Rupee falls 9 paise to close at fresh record low of 85.20 against dollar

The rupee extended the slide for the second straight session and depreciated 9 paise to settle at a fresh all-time low of 85.20 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, dragged by a strong greenback against major crosses overseas and subdued domestic equities.

According to analysts, increased demand of dollar due to month-end payment obligation and the fear of an aggressive import tariff by the Donald Trump administration in the US strengthened the greenback.

Besides, surging crude oil prices pushed the rupee down further, they added.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 85.10 and touched the lowest ever level of 85.21 against the greenback during intra-day. The unit finally ended the session at a fresh all-time low of 85.20 (provisional) against the dollar, registering a loss of 9 paise from its previous close.

On Monday, the rupee settled 7 paise lower at 85.11 against the US dollar.

Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said the rupee fell to a fresh all-time low on weak domestic markets and a strong US dollar due to increased demand from importers and surging crude oil prices.

He said a hawkish tone of the US Federal Reserve and an improved US economy may further support the dollar.

"FII outflows may also weigh on the rupee. However, any intervention by the RBI may support the rupee at lower levels. $-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 85 to Rs 85.40," Choudhary said.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading higher by 0.11 per cent at 107.93, amid soaring US Treasury yields and the fear of delayed interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.69 per cent to $73.13 per barrel in futures trade.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex closed lower by 67.30 points, or 0.09 per cent, at 78,472.87 points, while Nifty fell 25.80 points, or 0.11 per cent to close at 23,727.65 points.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Monday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 168.71 crore, according to exchange data.