Rupee weakens 5ps to 88.75/$

Mumbai: The rupee extended its descent for the third straight day and settled five paise down at 88.75 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday, near its all-time low level, weighed down by a strong American currency and foreign fund outflows.

Forex traders said domestic equities ended on a positive note and supported the domestic unit at lower levels. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 88.73 and touched an intraday low of 88.80 against the greenback.

The unit ended the session at 88.75 (provisional) against the dollar, logging a loss of 5 paise from its previous closing level. The rupee had ended one paisa lower at 88.70 against the dollar on Friday, a day after crashing 47 paise on Thursday, following the hawkish commentary by US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, even as the Fed reduced the interest rate by 25 basis points.

The domestic currency has recorded its lowest-ever closing level of 88.81 against the dollar on October 14. Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst, Currency and Commodities, Mirae Asset ShareKhan, said the Indian rupee declined to near its all-time low amid a strong US dollar and broad strength in crude oil prices.

However, positive domestic equities cushioned the downside. “We expect the rupee to trade with a slight negative bias on strengthening in the US dollar and dollar demand from importers to hedge their open positions,” he said, adding that any intervention by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may also support the rupee.