The Indian rupee strengthened against the US dollar on Friday, supported by firm domestic equities, but gains were limited by elevated crude oil prices.
Forex traders said the rupee inched higher as domestic equities touched fresh all-time highs and a weak tone in the US dollar supported the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit traded in a narrow range. It opened at 83.53, and touched an intraday high of 83.49 and a low of 83.55 against the American currency during the session.
It finally settled at 83.52 (provisional) against the dollar, 1 paisa higher than its previous close.
On Thursday, the rupee settled 2 paise lower at 83.53 against the US dollar.
“We expect the rupee to trade with a slight positive bias on the weak US dollar as cooling inflation raises expectations of a September rate cut by the US Fed,” said Anuj Choudhary Research Analyst at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.
Odds of a September rate cut rose to around 90 per cent post inflation data.
“Positive tone in the domestic markets and fresh foreign inflows may also support the rupee. However, a surge in crude oil prices may cap sharp upside. Traders may take cues from India’s IIP and CPI data,” Choudhary added.
USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 83.25 to Rs 83.80.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 104.39.
“The US dollar declined as inflation cooled more than expected. US CPI rose 3 per cent y-o-y in June 2024 versus forecast of 3.1 per cent. Core CPI rose 3.3 per cent y-o-y in June 2024 versus forecast of 3.4 per cent,” Choudhary said.
Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, were trading 0.94 per cent higher at USD 86.20 per barrel.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended the day 622.00 points, or 0.78 per cent, higher at 80,519.34 points. The broader NSE Nifty settled 186.20 points, or 0.77 per cent, up at 24,502.15 points.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Thursday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,137.01 crore, according to exchange data.
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