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The rupee depreciated 8 paise to settle at a fresh low of 84.50 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday, dragged down by massive sell-off in domestic equity markets and surging crude oil prices amid a volatile geopolitical situation.
According to forex traders, the American currency strengthened due to safe-haven appeal amid escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine, while the continuous outflow of foreign funds also put pressure on the domestic unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 84.41 and touched the lowest-ever level of 84.51 against the greenback during intra-day.
The unit ended the session at 84.50 (provisional) against the dollar, surpassing its previous lowest closing level of 84.46 recorded on November 14.
On Tuesday, the rupee settled flat at 84.42 against the US dollar.
The foreign exchange market was closed on Wednesday due to Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Jateen Trivedi, VP research analyst – commodity and currency, LKP Securities, said the rupee weakened as pressure mounted due to the dollar scaling higher above 106.65 amid renewed global uncertainties with geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine adding to global risk aversion.
At the same time, sell-off in domestic equity markets was fuelled after the Adani group faced bribery and fraud charges in the US.
“This has further fuelled FII outflows, continuing the trend of capital flight from Indian markets,” Trivedi said.
The rupee’s trading range is expected between 84.35 and 84.65, with continued weakness likely in the near-term, Trivedi added.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading higher by 0.04 per cent at 106.66.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, surged by 1.35 per cent to $73.93 per barrel in futures trade.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 422.59 points, or 0.54 per cent, to close at 77,155.79 points, while Nifty fell 168.60 points, or 0.72 per cent, to settle at 23,349.90 points.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Tuesday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 3,411.73 crore, according to exchange data.
