Rupee falls 5 paise to 89.95 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee fell 5 paise to 89.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday amid foreign fund outflows and a muted opening in the domestic equity markets.
Forex traders said foreign portfolio investors continue to offload Indian equities, which has been weighing on the Indian rupee in the last few months. At the interbank foreign exchange, the local unit opened at 89.95 against the dollar, down 5 paise from its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee depreciated 19 paise to close at 89.90 against the US dollar.
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"FPIs flow into Indian equities, a sustained return of foreign buying would be supportive for the rupee in the coming year, which has been the worst-performing currency in the emerging market and Asian markets," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director at Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.02 per cent lower at 98.00.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.92 per cent higher at USD 61.20 per barrel in futures trade.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that India and the US remain engaged in concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement.
"This ongoing engagement helps anchor market confidence at a time of global uncertainty," CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said.
Pabari further said, "The RBI’s presence continues to act as a strong backstop. With spot interventions, liquidity tools and forward market management, the central bank has shown clear intent to prevent disorderly moves in the currency."
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex rose 22.24 points to 85,063.69 in initial trade, while the Nifty was up 18.10 points to 26,060.40.
Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 317.56 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, India's forex reserves jumped by USD 4.368 billion to USD 693.318 billion during the week ended December 19, the Reserve Bank said on Friday.
The overall kitty had increased by USD 1.689 billion to USD 688.949 billion in the previous week.
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Smriti Mandhana named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Star batter Smriti Mandhana, who played a pivotal role in India's historic 2025 Women's World Cup triumph, was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025 at a glittering function here on Monday.
Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh won the Emerging Player of the Year award, for her historic FIDE Women's World Cup triumph at just 20.
Preethi Pal was named the Para-Sportswoman of the Year, for winning two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in track and field, while Anjali Bhagwat was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising her pioneering career as India's first woman shooter to reach an Olympic final and her trailblazing success on the world stage.
Mandhana, who is currently touring Australia with the Indian team for multi-format bilateral assignments, said in a video message: "Thank you BBC for giving me the awardfor Best Sportswoman of the Year. 2025 was a special year for women's cricket, especiallytowards the end we had a World Cup and I'm happy I could contribute and help India win matches.".
At 29, the left-handed batter is already among the game's greats, with the second-highest number of centuries in women's One Day Internationals and ranking third in total runsscored among current players worldwide.
Hailing from Sangli city in Maharashtra, the affable Mandhana was inspired by her father and brother, both of whom played cricket at the district level.
In September last year, she made a 50-ball hundred against Australia – the fastest 50 over international ton (men and women) by an Indian in the format, breaking Virat Kohli's record.
The award winners were decided by a distinguished grand jury comprising Leander Paes, Deepa Malik, and Anju Bobby George.
Praising the athletes' achievements CEO of BBC News, Jonathan Munro said: "Congratulations to this year's winners who showcase the very best in sporting excellence. The BBC World Service is committed to bringing such stories of human endeavour and outstanding success to audiences across India and around the world.".
Additionally, the ceremony also celebrated a wide spectrum of talent and impact, recognizing star performers and changemakers for redefining the landscape of Indian sport.
BBC Star Performers of the Year 202.
• Indian Women's Cricket Team: for their historic World Cup victory.
• Ekta Bhyan, Deepthi Jeevanji and Preethi Pal: for their trailblazing performances at the World Para Athletics Championship.
• Indian Women's Cricket Team for the Blind: for their inspiring World Cup victory.
• Indian Women's Kabaddi Team: for their smashing victory in World Cup.
.
BBC Changemakers of the Year 202.
• Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team: for breaking barriers in a non-traditional sport.
• Rajbir Kaur: Indian field hockey player and former captain of the women’s national team.
• Savita Punia: Indian field hockey player and current member of the national team.
• Paani Devi: recognised for her impactful contribution to grassroots sport.
