Rupee inches down

Mumbai: The rupee edged lower by 1 paisa to settle at an all-time low of 83.10 against the US dollar on Friday, weighed down by a negative trend in domestic equities and foreign fund outflows.

Forex traders said the rupee is likely to trade with a negative bias on risk aversion in global markets and a rising US dollar. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 83.03 against the dollar and moved in a range of 83.02 to 83.13 in the day trade. It finally ended the day at 83.10, registering a fall of 1 paisa from its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee settled lower by 1 paisa at a record low of 83.09 against the US dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.11 per cent to 103.46. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, declined 0.32 per cent to $83.85 per barrel. “The rupee declined marginally on weak domestic markets and foreign fund outflows,” said Anuj Choudhary - Research Analyst at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.

However, the softness of the US dollar cushioned the downside. The US dollar eased as the Chinese central bank intervened after the Yuan fell to a 16-year low. The US dollar gained on Thursday as US weekly unemployment claims declined to 239,000 as compared to 250,000 in the previous week showing a tight labour market.