Rupee falls 7 paise to 89.97 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee fell 7 paise to 89.97 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday amid sustained FII outflows and a rise in global crude oil prices.
The apprehension of further tariffs by the US and weak sentiments at the domestic equity markets fuelled selling of equities by foreign investors, putting more pressure on the local unit, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 88.88 against the US dollar before slipping to 89.97, down 7 paise from its previous close.
The rupee settled 3 paise lower at 89.90 against the US dollar on Thursday, amid sustained outflow of foreign funds and a stronger greenback.
"There was huge volatility in the rupee market on Thursday as the RBI sold dollars at 89.99 and brought rupee up to 89.73 and then FPIs bought dollars. The RBI has been capping the dollar upside presently, creating huge oversold positions for itself which could keep the dollar well bid at lower levels as the RBI would try to square up positions," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which measures the strength of the greenback against a basket of six currencies, was trading flat at 98.93.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.53 per cent higher at USD 62.32 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 78.84 points to 84,102.12, while the Nifty dipped 21.50 points to 25,850.85.
Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 3,367.12 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
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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.
