Rupee tanks 22 paise to 82.59/$

The rupee fell 22 paise to close at 82.59 (provisional) against the US currency on Thursday, weighed down by a strong greenback in the overseas market and a negative trend in domestic equities.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 82.36 against the dollar, and finally settled at 82.59 (provisional), down 22 paise from its previous close. During the day, the rupee touched a high of 82.35 and a low of 82.66 against the greenback. On Wednesday, the rupee had settled at 82.37 against the dollar. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.21 per cent to 103.10. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, advanced 0.66 per cent to $76.45 per barrel.

Anuj Choudhary - Research Analyst, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas, said “the rupee depreciated as the US Dollar rose to a seven-week high amid optimism over debt ceiling talks. Overnight gains in crude oil prices also weighed on the domestic currency.