Rupee declines 9 paise to 82.05 against dollar amid geopolitical worries

MUMBAI: The rupee declined by 9 paise to close at 82.04 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday amid geopolitical concerns and firming crude oil prices.

Volatility in equity markets and FII outflows also weighed on the market sentiment, analysts said.

After opening lower, the rupee staged a recovery to hit the day’s high of 81.94 in morning trade amid early gains in equities and a weaker greenback in the overseas markets.

However, the local currency retreated from early highs amid volatile stock markets and touched a low of 82.05 in afternoon trade at the interbank foreign exchange market.

The rupee closed at the day’s low level of 82.05, showing a loss of 9 paise over the previous close of 81.96 against the US dollar.

Analysts said that geopolitical concerns after a short-lived armed rebellion in Russia eroded the appeal of riskier assets.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, eased 0.15 per cent to 102.75.

Crude oil price benchmark Brent crude was up 0.53 per cent at USD 74.24 per barrel.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex retreated from early highs to close almost flat at 62,970, showing a loss of 9.37 points. The broader Nifty advanced 25.70 points to close at 18,691.20.

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) were net sellers in the capital market on Friday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 344.81 crore, according to exchange data.