Rupee closes 6 paise higher at 70.84 against dollar; foreign fund inflows, lower crude prices support local currency

Mumbai: The rupee pared some of its early gains to close with a marginal rise of 6 paise at 70.84 against the US dollar on Tuesday as foreign fund inflows and lower crude oil prices rendered some support.

#Rupee ends mildly stronger compared to Friday's close pic.twitter.com/W1wfLAoIcy

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However, stronger dollar against key global currencies kept the rupee movement under check through the session.

The Indian unit opened on a bullish note after an extended weekend and rose to a high of 70.68 to the dollar during the day. But, it moved southward during the fag-end of the session and settled at 70.84, a gain of 6 paise.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net buyers in the capital markets, putting in Rs 876.64 crore on Tuesday, exchange data showed.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.08 percent to 97.84.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.06 percent to $60.92 per barrel in futures trade.

“Indian rupee gave away early morning gains amid dollar buying from state-run banks… However, the recovery in dollar index and dollar buying by banks on behalf of importers dragged rupee lower in afternoon session,” said V K Sharma, Head - PCG & Capital Market Strategy, HDFC Securities.

The 10-year government bond yield was trading at 6.51 percent.

Forex traders said that a caution also set in as market participants remained cautious ahead of the important FOMC policy statement that will be released later this week.

On the stock market front, the BSE Sensex settled 581.64 points, or 1.48 percent, higher at 39,831.84. The broader NSE Nifty rallied 159.70 points or 1.37 percent to close at 11,786.85.