Rupee gains 3 paise to settle at 85.33 against US dollar

The rupee pared most of its initial gains to settle 3 paise higher at 85.33 (provisional) against the American currency on Tuesday, due to rising appetite for riskier assets amid easing trade tariff tensions.

However, rising crude oil prices, a strong US dollar and the emergence of profit booking in domestic equities restricted the rise of the domestic unit, traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 84.70 and moved between the intra-day high of 84.62 and the low of 85.48 against the greenback. The unit ended the session at 85.33 (provisional), registering a gain of 3 paise over its previous closing level.

On Friday, the rupee pared its initial losses and settled for the day higher by 22 paise at 85.36 against the US dollar.

The foreign exchange market was closed on Monday on account of Buddha Purnima.

US and Chinese officials said Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and called a 90-day truce in their trade war for more talks on resolving their trade disputes.

"We expect the rupee to trade with a positive bias amid de-escalating geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan. Rise in risk appetite in global markets amid easing trade tariff tensions between the US and China," said Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan.

India and Pakistan on last Saturday announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.

In his first address to the nation after Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sternly warned Pakistan that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and sent a clear message to the world: terror and trade, terror and talks cannot go together.

"Operation Sindoor is India's new policy against terrorism and our unwavering pledge for justice. It is the new normal. We have only kept in abeyance our operations against Pakistan, and the future will depend on their behaviour," Modi said.

Choudhary further noted that a surge in global crude oil prices and a fall in domestic markets may weigh on the rupee. Any FII outflows may also pressurise the rupee. Traders may take cues from CPI inflation data from the US. USD/INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of 85 to 86.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.20 per cent lower at 101.58.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.42 per cent to USD 65.23 per barrel in futures trade. Over the last few sessions, Brent crude prices have surged to near USD 65 per barrel, which could widen India's trade deficit, experts said.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 1281.68 points, or 1.55 per cent, to close at 81,148.22, while the Nifty fell 346.35 points, or 1.39 per cent, to 24,578.35.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 1,246.48 crore on a net basis on Monday, according to exchange data.