Rupee settles 10 paise higher at 87.21 against U.S. dollar

Rupee gains 10 paise against dollar as foreign capital outflow and trade uncertainties restrict recovery.

The rupee recovered from steep losses and settled with a gain of 10 paise at 87.21 (provisional) against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday (March 11, 2025) as the American currency index fell to its four-month low level and crude oil prices also stayed subdued.

A volatile trend in domestic equity markets and outflow of foreign capital amid fear of recession in the U.S. and trade-related uncertainties restricted the recovery in the local currency, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 87.37 and touched the day's low of 87.39 against the greenback. The unit also strengthened up to 87.17 before ending the session at 87.21 (provisional) against the dollar, 10 paise higher compared to its previous closing level.

On Monday, the rupee crashed 36 paise to close at 87.31 against the US dollar.

Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, attributed the rupee's recovery to weak tone in the US dollar index and a decline in the U.S. 10-year treasury yields.

He said that weak crude oil prices and mixed-to-positive domestic markets supported the rupee but FII outflows capped sharp gains.

Going further, Choudhary said, "Traders may take cues from JOLTS job openings data from the U.S. Investors may remain cautious ahead of the inflation data from the US and India this week. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 86.95 to Rs 87.40," Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading lower by 0.58% at 103.35, close to the level seen on November 5.