Rupee rises 11 paise to 90.23 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee rose 11 paise to 90.23 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday on positive investor sentiments as traders keenly awaited the RBI's MPC announcement.
However, FII outflows, rise in crude oil prices, and a marginally stronger greenback capped sharper gains in the local unit, according to forex traders.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 90.28 against the greenback before rising to 90.23, up 11 paise from its previous close.
On Thursday, the rupee appreciated 13 paise to close at 90.34 against the US dollar.
"The Reserve Bank of India will announce its monetary policy today... and the tone of the language will be of interest to traders for future guidance," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 97.85.
"The dollar index further rose but was unable to cross 98 levels this (Friday) morning as the labour data was not strong enough," Bhansali said.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.33 per cent higher at USD 67.77 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 225.15 points to 83,088.78 in early trade, while Nifty was down 89.25 points to 25,553.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net sellers after two days and offloaded equities worth Rs 2,150.51 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
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Gujarat govt to provide new PNG connections to hotels, hostels, educational institutes
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat government has decided to provide new PNG (piped natural gas) connections to restaurants, hotels, educational and socio-religious institutions located in areas where the pipeline distribution network is available, if they apply for the facility.
The decision was taken on Friday at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The meeting reviewed the status of PNG and petroleum products in the state in the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has severely disrupted global energy supplies.
"The CM took an important decision that in the areas of the state where pipeline network for city gas distribution is available, restaurants, hotels, educational and socio-religious institutions demanding new PNG connections will be given the same with immediate effect as per their needs," stated an official release.
The meeting was informed that a sufficient quantity of natural gas supply was currently available in the state for citizens who get gas through pipelines for domestic use, it said.
The government on Thursday insisted that adequate stocks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and PNG are available in the state for domestic consumption despite the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia, from where India imports a large share of its energy products.
Continuous monitoring is being carried out by the Centre and state authorities to ensure uninterrupted supply and distribution of LPG cylinders across Gujarat, it had said.
