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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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
