Rupee falls to 95.20, its weakest ever, as crude and dollar pile on pressure

Mumbai: The rupee depreciated 32 paise to an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, April 30, weighed down by elevated Brent crude oil prices, hovering around USD 122 per barrel, and strong American currency.

Forex traders said the USD/INR pair may see further downside, as rising crude oil prices are likely to sharply impact India’s import costs, while concerns over potential wider conflict in West Asia are fuelling investor anxiety.

Meanwhile, the US dollar added to gains after the US FED Reserve kept rates unchanged. Safe-haven demand was also boosted by another diplomatic setback between Washington and Tehran.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.01 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 32 paise over its previous close.

On Wednesday, April 29, the rupee depreciated 20 paise to close at an all-time low of 94.88 against the US dollar.

“The main effect on the rupee has been from the rising oil prices, which touched USD 120 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continues with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran does not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 98.96.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 3.16 per cent at USD 121.76 per barrel in futures trade.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex tumbled 821.79 points to 76,674.57 in early trade, while the Nifty dived 287.3 points to 23,890.35.

Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 2,468.42 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

“FPIs continue with their sale of Indian Equities and debt (the yield touched 7 per cent on Wednesday) and are also dollar buyers consistently,” Bhansali added.