Rupee rebounds from lowest level to settle 41 paise higher at 91.64 against US dollar

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) The rupee rebounded from its lowest level and settled with a gain of 41 paise at 91.64 against the US dollar on Thursday on the back of a buying trend in domestic equity markets and suspected RBI intervention.

According to forex analysts, the Reserve Bank seems to have intervened to help the local currency from extreme volatility due to uncertainties on the ongoing war involving the US, Israel and Iran.

However, a firm dollar, rising crude oil prices and withdrawal of foreign funds kept the rupee under pressure, they said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 92.16 and touched an intraday high of 91.30 against the greenback. The currency ended the session at 91.64 against the dollar, registering a gain of 41 paise from the previous closing level.

The Indian currency slumped 56 paise to close at its all-time low of 92.05 against US dollar on Wednesday, after logging a steep loss of 41 paise on Monday.

The forex market was closed on Tuesday on account of Holi.

"Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have significantly impacted the Indian rupee. Concerns regarding crude supply and elevated oil prices have exerted depreciation pressure on the INR," according to Sameer Karyatt, Executive Director and Head of Trading at DBS Bank India.

Karyatt further noted that this pressure on the INR has been amplified by a shift towards safe-haven assets in the current uncertain environment, leading to an approximate 1.4 per cent depreciation this week.

"We anticipate continued depreciation pressure on the INR, consistent with trends observed in other Asian currencies under these macroeconomic conditions. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to intervene to mitigate excessive volatility and sterilize these actions to maintain INR surplus liquidity within the system," Karyatt said.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.31 per cent higher at 99.07.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was up 2.84 per cent at USD 83.71 per barrel in futures trade, after escalating threats of disruptions in the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

The military conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran continued on Thursday as Iranian missiles hit Israel after an American submarine sank an Iranian warship on Wednesday. Iran has also threatened the destruction of military and economic infrastructure across the region.

According to experts, India faces the risk of a sharp increase in its import bill with the rising crude prices in the international market, as the country's 85 per cent fuel requirement is met through imports.

On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex saw a sharp recovery of 899.71 points or 1.14 per cent to settle at 80,015.90, while Nifty recovered 285.40 points or 1.17 per cent to 24,765.90.

Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 8,752.65 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data. PTI HVA DRR