The rupee tumbled by 32 paise to end at 74.37 against the U.S. currency on Wednesday, weighed down by a muted trend in domestic equities and strength of the American currency in the overseas market.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 74.11 and witnessed a high of 74.06 and a low of 74.42 against the U.S. dollar in the day trade.
The local unit finally settled at 74.37 a dollar, down 32 paise over its previous close. On Tuesday, the rupee had settled at 74.05 against the U.S. dollar.
According to Emkay Global Financial Services, "Inflationary concerns are increasing globally and as we proceed with the week, the IPO related inflows may dry out, keeping USD/INR spot afloat".
The key catalyst for the forex market is the US inflation data. A lower-than-expected CPI figure will reflect a ‘transitory’ factors, however, a higher-than-expected data or a figure in line with market consensus will induce the Fed to accelerate the pace of asset purchases, it said, adding that "we expect USD/INR spot to trade in between 73.75-74.50".
Meanwhile, Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, declined by 0.06 % to 84.73 per barrel.
On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 80.63 points or 0.13 % lower at 60,352.82, while the broader NSE Nifty declined 27.05 points or 0.15 % to 18,017.20.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.19 % up at 94.13.
Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Tuesday as they offloaded shares worth ₹ 2,445.25 crore, as per exchange data.
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