Rupee rises 13 paise to 86.60 against US dollar as crude prices fall, dollar weakens

The rupee rose 13 paise to 86.60 against the US dollar on Friday, supported by weaker crude oil prices and a softer dollar. Market experts expect further movement based on geopolitical developments and foreign investor activity in Indian equities.

Mumbai: Rupee rose 13 paise to 86.60 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday over a decline in global crude oil prices and a weakening greenback.

The rupee had lost 30 paise to close at an over two-month low of 86.73 against the US dollar on Thursday, logging a combined loss of 69 paise during the past three sessions.

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At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 86.65 against the US dollar before rising to 86.60, up 13 paise from its previous close.

“The uncertainty of Iran-Israel war remains, and US President Donald Trump has only postponed the US entry by 2 weeks… the rupee is expected to move between 86.35/95. Exporters are getting a good chance to sell dollars as when the fighting ends we may see the rupee back to 85.50/75 levels, which could happen in July,” Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.

“Importers need to wait for hedging, while exporters can keep selling at 86.85/90 levels. FPIs have been small buyers of equity in the last three days, and the selling has mostly happened in mid-cap and small caps as indices have not fallen much despite the war in the Middle East,” he said.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.31 per cent lower at 98.59.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 289.43 points to 81,651.30 while Nifty was up 88.25 points to 24,881.50.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, declined 2.46 per cent to USD 76.91 per barrel in futures trade.

“As the White House release said that Trump will decide in two weeks whether to attack Iran or not, there was some relief in various asset classes with Brent oil down to USD 77.16 per barrel with prices having jumped by almost 3 per cent overnight,” Bhansali said.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 934.62 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data.