Agencies
MUMBAI, Jan 16: The rupee depreciated 21 paise to close at 86.61 against the US dollar on Thursday, dragged down by a strong American currency overseas, elevated crude oil prices and foreign fund outflows.
However, positive domestic equity markets provided support at the lower level, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 86.42 and touched the intraday high of 86.37 before ending the session at 86.61 against the greenback, 21 paise lower from the previous close.
The local unit settled with a gain of 13 paise at 86.40 against the dollar on Wednesday, a day after rebounding 17 paise from its lowest-ever level.
Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said the rupee declined due to increased demand for dollars by importers.
"Importers may continue to buy dollars, which may further pressurise the rupee. Traders may take cues from retail sales and weekly unemployment claims data from the US. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 86.35 to Rs 86.75," he said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent higher at 108.97.
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