Rupee rises 9 paise to 82.93 against US dollar

MUMBAI: The rupee continued its upward trend for the second straight session and appreciated by 9 paise to 82.93 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, tracking positive cues from domestic equity markets and a weak American currency against major overseas rivals.

However, firm crude oil prices hovering above USD 90 per barrel and outflow of foreign funds weighed on the Indian currency, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened 9 paise higher at 82.93 and traded in a narrow range of 82.90 to 82.96 against the greenback.

On Friday, the rupee closed at 83.02 against the US dollar.

Gaurang Somaiya, forex and bullion analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said this week the domestic inflation number will be important to watch and could trigger volatility for the currency.

"Today, volatility for major crosses including the rupee could remain low as no major economic data is expected to release. We expect the USDINR (Spot) to trade sideways with a positive bias and quote in the range of 82.80 and 83.40," Somaiya added.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.35 per cent to 104.72.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.24 per cent lower at USD 90.43 per barrel.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 201.56 points or 0.30 per cent higher at 66,800.47. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 69.45 points or 0.35 per cent to 19,889.40.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Friday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 224.22 crore, according to exchange data.