The rupee slumped 67 paise to close at an all-time low of 92.16 against US dollar on Wednesday, weighed down by spiking crude oil prices in the wake of the Iran crisis. Forex traders said the dollar index crossed 98 levels on the risk-off situation prevailing all around the globe amid the US-Iran crisis, further pressurising the rupee.
Moreover, massive selling in domestic equity markets and withdrawal of foreign funds further dragged the Indian currency down. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 92.05 and touched an all-time intraday low of 92.35 against the greenback. The currency ended the session at an all-time low of 92.16 (provisional) against the dollar, registering a steep loss of 67 paise from the previous closing level.
On Monday, the rupee saw a steep loss of 41 paise to settle at 91.49 against the US dollar. The forex market was closed on Tuesday on account of Holi.
“A sharp escalation in Middle East conflict and the consequent spike in oil prices have reduced investor risk appetite. Higher oil prices increase inflation concerns and fiscal pressure on India (a major oil importer), leading to selling in bonds and rising yields,” Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.23 per cent lower at 98.82.
“The dollar index crossed 98 levels comfortably on the risk-off situation prevailing all around the globe with stocks and bond markets getting hit badly, along with Gold and Silver, with predominance of the dollar,” Bhansali said.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was up 1.29 per cent at 82.46 per barrel in futures trade, after the US attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory measures as threats to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz continued to underpin disruption worries.
On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex tanked 1,122.66 points to settle at 79,116.19, while the Nifty dived 385.20 points to 24,480.50. On Monday, foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 3,295.64 crore, according to exchange data.
Also read: Rupee hits record low against US dollar amid war fears
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