Rupee flirts with 90, closes at record low

Mumbai: The rupee hit the psychological 90-a-dollar level in intraday trade before settling 42paise down at an all-time low of 89.95 (provisional) against the US dollar, largely owing to continued short-covering from speculators and sustained importer demand for the American currency.Forex traders said multiple pressures, like foreign fund outflows from equities and lingering uncertainty over the Indo-US trade deal, are keeping investor sentiment fragile. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 89.70, then lost its ground and fell to a record intraday low of 90.00 against the US dollar, down 47 paise over its previous close. At the end of trade on Tuesday, the rupee settled at a record low of 89.95 (provisional) against the greenback, down 42 paise over its previous close. On Monday, the rupee depreciated by eight paise to close at 89.53 against the US dollar.

“The 90 level is a major psychological barrier -- and a cluster of buy-stop orders likely sits above it. This is precisely why the RBI must remain active below 90; if the pair starts sustaining above this zone, the market could quickly shift into a higher trending phase toward 91.00 or even higher,” said Anindya Banerjee, Head Commodity and Currency, Kotak Securities.