Rupee falls 15 paise to 83.34 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined 15 paise to settle at 83.34 against the US dollar on Wednesday due to sustained outflow of foreign funds and increased demand for American currency from importers and banks.
According to forex traders, a robust buying trend in the domestic equity market failed to boost sentiment as investors remained concerned over volatile crude oil prices, fearing disruption in global trade through the Red Sea route.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic currency opened at 83.21 and traded between the peak of 83.20 and the lowest level of 83.35 against the dollar during intra-day deals. The local unit finally settled at 83.34 against the greenback, registering a fall of 15 paise from its previous close.
On Tuesday, the domestic currency settled at 83.19 against the dollar.
Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas, said the Indian rupee depreciated on dollar demand from foreign banks and importers.
"FII outflows also weighed on the rupee. However, positive domestic markets and the weak tone in the US dollar cushioned the downside," he said but added that the rupee is likely to trade with a slight negative bias on month-end dollar demand from oil marketing companies and importers.
"USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 83 to Rs 83.70," he said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading marginally lower at 101.07 on Wednesday.
Global oil price benchmark Brent crude slipped 0.16 per cent to USD 80.94 per barrel.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 701.63 points or 0.98 per cent to settle at a fresh peak of 72,038.43 points. The broader NSE Nifty soared 213.40 points or 1 per cent to 21,654.75 points.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 2,926.05 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
According to Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities, the dollar index's weakness has generally kept the rupee stable within this range.
"However, the broader trend is a gradual decline over the past few months, with the RBI providing support around the 83.40-83.50 zones. The global holiday week shall keep range bound volatility continued with range break possible on lower side likely in coming sessions," Trivedi said.
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Shivaji statue collapse case: HC grants bail to consultant Chetan Patil
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to consultant Chetan Patil arrested in connection with the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj''s statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan in August.
A 35-foot statue of the iconic Maratha warrior king collapsed in Sindhudurg district on August 26, nearly nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it on Navy Day.
Patil was arrested on August 30 from Kolhapur.
A single bench of Justice A S Kilor on Thursday held that no case was made out to implicate Patil in the case as he had not been appointed as the structural designer of the statue.
The bench further said Patil had only submitted a structural stability report of the pedestal of the statue and the pedestal was intact even after the collapse.
Another accused, Jaydeep Apte, who was the sculptor and contractor, was also arrested in the case. The HC said it would hear his bail plea on November 25.
The Sindhudurg police had registered an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligence and other offences last month against Apte and Patil for the statue's collapse.
Patil and Apte moved HC seeking bail after a sessions court rejected their pleas.
