Rupee falls 13 paise to hit all-time low of 88.81 against US dollar

Mumbai, Oct 14 (PTI) The rupee depreciated 13 paise to close at an all-time low of 88.81 against the US dollar on Tuesday, weighed down by negative domestic equities and a strong American currency against major crosses overseas.

Forex traders said foreign fund outflows amid a risk-off mode globally further dented investor sentiment.

However, a decline in crude oil prices and reports of RBI intervention supported the local unit and restricted the slide.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 88.73 against the greenback and fell to an intraday low of 88.82 and a high of 88.73. It finally closed the day at a lifetime low of 88.81 against the greenback, registering a decline of 13 paise over its previous close of 88.68.

On September 30, the rupee had fallen to an all-time low of 88.80 against the US dollar.

"The rupee... (was) pressured by broad-based dollar strength and weaker regional currencies. Sentiment remains fragile amid US-China trade uncertainty and risk-averse moods.

"However, the rupee has demonstrated resilience, consolidating in a narrow range over the past two weeks due to central bank intervention and foreign fund inflows. Near-term, spot USD/INR finds support at 88.50 and faces resistance at 89.10," Dilip Parmar - Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, said.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.10 per cent higher at 99.36.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 2.15 per cent at USD 61.99 per barrel in futures trade.

According to some experts, US-India trade tariffs are the only point which is hurting investors' sentiments.

A team of senior officials from India will visit the US this week for trade talks, and negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement are progressing well, a top official said on Monday.

In February this year, leaders of the two countries directed officials to negotiate a proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

It was planned to conclude the first tranche of the pact by the fall (October-November) of 2025.

So far, five rounds of negotiations have been completed.

"A weak tone in global crude oil prices and FII inflows may favour the rupee. The US government shutdown and rising odds of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve may further weigh on the US Dollar. USD/INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of 88.50 to 89," said Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst, Currency and Commodities, Mirae Asset ShareKhan.

On the domestic macroeconomic data front, India’s CPI inflation cooled off to an 8-year low at 1.54 per cent in September against 2.07 per cent in August. It fell below the RBI inflation target of 2 per cent.

WPI inflation too cooled off to 0.13 per cent in September compared to 0.52 per cent in August.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex dropped 297.07 points to close at 82,029.98, while the Nifty declined 81.85 points to 25,145.50.

Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,508.53 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data. PTI DRR DRR BAL BAL