Rupee falls 21 paise to 88.40 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 21 paise to 88.40 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, weighed down by month-end dollar demand from importers and a surge in global crude oil prices.
Forex traders said investors are keeping a watch on Federal Reserve’s policy decision on Wednesday for further cues. Markets are assigning a 97.8 per cent probability to a 25-basis-point rate cut, with another one expected in December, they said.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 88.34, and slipped to 88.40 against the greenback, registering a fall of 21 paise from its previous close.
On Monday, the rupee plunged 36 paise to close at 88.19 against the US dollar.
"For now, the market seems to be balancing between short-term pressure and medium-term optimism. The rupee is expected to find strong resistance near 88.40, while support lies around 87.60–87.70. A break below that zone could open the door for a move toward 87.20," CR Forex Advisors MD – Amit Pabari said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.12 per cent to 98.66.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.02 per cent to USD 65.63 per barrel in futures trading.
On the domestic equity markets front, Sensex climbed 125.93 points to 84,904.77 in early trade, while Nifty was up 39.8 points to 26,005.85.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 55.58 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, India's crude oil imports from the United States climbed to their highest level since 2022 in October, a move seen as part of New Delhi's effort to diversify supplies away from Russia and ease trade tensions with the Trump administration.
India's crude imports from the US reached 540,000 barrels per day as of October 27 - the highest since 2022, according to data from Kpler.
October is likely to close with near 575,000 bpd, and November looks to book around 400,000-450,000 bpd, per US export data - a sharp jump from the year-to-date average of around 300,000 bpd.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
