Rupee falls 30 paise to 77.55 against US dollar in early trade

The Reserve Bank is likely to raise inflation projections in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting next month and would also consider a rate hike to tame inflation which is above its comfort level.

The rupee slumped 30 paise to 77.55 against the US dollar in opening trade on Thursday as a lacklustre trend in the domestic equity markets and a firm American currency weighed on investor sentiment.

Besides, persistent foreign fund outflows and elevated crude oil prices impacted the domestic unit, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened sharply lower at 77.52 against the American dollar, then lost further ground to quote 77.55, registering a fall of 30 paise from the last close. In initial deals, the domestic currency was moving in a range of 77.50 and 77.57.

In the previous session, the rupee had settled at 77.25 against the American currency.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.10% higher at 103.95.

On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 822.94 points or 1.52% lower at 53,265.45, while the broader NSE Nifty declined 239.30 points or 1.48% to 15,927.80.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures declined 1.11% to USD 106.32 per barrel.