Rupee falls 2 paise to close at 82.97 against US dollar

New Delhi: The rupee depreciated by 2 paise to close at 82.97 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, weighed down by a surge in crude oil prices and strong American currency overseas.

However, a positive trend in domestic markets and upbeat macroeconomic data from India cushioned the downside for the local unit, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 82.92 against the US dollar and moved in a range of 82.89 and 82.99.

The rupee finally settled at 82.97 (provisional) against the US dollar, down 2 paise from its previous close.

On Tuesday, the rupee closed at 82.95 against the US currency.

"The Indian rupee depreciated on Wednesday on strong Dollar and surge in global crude oil prices. However, positive domestic markets and upbeat macroeconomic data from India cushioned the downside," said Anuj Choudhary - Research Analyst at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.

The dollar gained on expectations that the US Fed may hike interest rates one more time this year.

"We expect the rupee to trade with a slight negative bias on rising US dollar and surge in crude oil prices. Risk aversion in global markets may also weigh on the rupee.

"However, a positive tone in domestic markets may support the rupee at lower levels. Traders may remain cautious ahead of US CPI data. USD/INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 82.70 to Rs 83.30," Choudhary said.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose marginally by 0.08 per cent to 104.79.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, advanced 0.58 per cent to USD 92.59 per barrel.

On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share BSE Sensex closed 245.86 points or 0.37 per cent higher at 67,466.99. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 76.80 points or 0.38 per cent to its lifetime closing high of 20,070.00.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market on Tuesday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,047.19 crore, according to exchange data.

India's industrial production growth rose to a five-month high of 5.7 per cent in July, mainly due to good showing by the manufacturing, mining and power sectors, as per official data released on Tuesday.

Retail inflation declined to 6.83 per cent in August after touching a 15-month high of 7.44 per cent in July, mainly due to softening prices of vegetables, but still remains above the Reserve Bank's comfort zone.