Rupee trades flat 83.49 against U.S. dollar in early session

Rupee opens flat at 83.49 against the dollar, with Powell's testimony and market movements influencing currency.

The rupee traded flat at 83.49 against the U.S. currency in the early session on July 10 amid losses in domestic equities and easing crude oil prices.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened flat at 83.49 against the U.S. dollar. The local currency moved in a restricted range of 83.49 to 83.50 against the greenback in early trade.

The rupee had edged up 1 paisa to close at 83.49 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday ahead of the key testimony of US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in front of Congress.

Powell's testimony offered little new guidance on the US central bank's plans for when it might cut interest rates.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, eased 0.03% from overnight high levels to 105.09.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, declined 0.26% to $84.44 per barrel in futures trade.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped by 143.15 points or 0.18% to close at 80,208.49. The broader NSE Nifty declined 27.20 points, or 0.11%, to 24,406.