Rupee falls 13 paise to 81.82 against US dollar

MUMBAI: The rupee depreciated 13 paise to 81.82 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, as a strengthening American currency and firm crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiments.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened weak at 81.80 against the dollar, then fell to 81.82, registering a decline of 13 paise over its last close.

In the previous session on Tuesday, the rupee settled at 81.69 against the US dollar.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.49 per cent to 102.88.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, advanced 0.65 per cent to USD 86.48 per barrel.

Traders said market participants remain cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy statement.

Bank of Japan has been by far the most dovish central bank and has used all kinds of unconventional tools to keep its policy ultra-accommodative.

Any departure from this policy would therefore be a huge shift, IFA Global Research Academy said in a research note.

"We expect the USD/INR spot to trade in a 81.55-81.85 range with sideways price action," it added.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 157.99 points or 0.26 per cent higher at 60,813.71.

The broader NSE Nifty advanced 44.60 points or 0.25 per cent to 18,097.90.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net buyers in the capital markets on Tuesday as they purchased shares worth Rs 211.06 crore, according to exchange data.