Rupee settles 1 paisa higher at 83.72 against US dollar

     Mumbai, Jul 31 (PTI) The rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled for the day higher by 1 paisa at 83.72 against the US dollar on Wednesday, as the support from positive domestic equities was negated by month-end dollar demand from importers.
     Forex traders said significant foreign fund outflows and overnight surge in crude oil prices weighed on the local unit.
     At the interbank foreign exchange market, the domestic currency opened 1 paisa higher than the previous day's close.
     It touched the intra-day low of 83.75 during the session and finally settled for the day 1 paisa higher at 83.72 against US dollar.
     On Tuesday, the rupee closed flat at 83.73 against the American currency.
     "We expect the rupee to trade with a slight negative bias on month-end dollar demand from importers and oil marketing companies (OMCs). However, a positive tone in the domestic markets and weak US dollar may support the rupee at lower levels," Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas, said.
     Any fresh intervention by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may also support the rupee, he said.
     "Investors may watch out for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting outcome on Wednesday and Bank of England's monetary policy on Thursday. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 83.50 to Rs 84," he said.
     In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose 285.94 points to hit an all-time high of 81,741.34, while Nifty rallied 93.85 points to a record 24,951.15.
     Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.36 per cent to 104.17.
     "The US dollar fell on Wednesday after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates by 15 bps to 0.25 per cent from 0.1 per cent, leading to a sharp surge in the yen. Other Asian currencies, too, appreciated on weakness in the US dollar," Choudhary said.
     Brent crude -- the global oil benchmark -- went up 2.26 per cent to USD 80.41 per barrel in futures trade.
     Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital markets on Wednesday and offloaded shares worth Rs 3,462.36 crore, according to exchange data.
     The latest government data released on Wednesday showed India's fiscal deficit at the end of the first quarter touched 8.1 per cent of the full-year target.
     In absolute terms, the gap between expenditure and revenue was Rs 1,35,712 crore as of June-end, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
     Meanwhile, growth in production of eight key infrastructure sectors of the country slowed down to a 20-month low of 4 per cent in June this year due to a decline in the output of crude oil and refinery products, according to an official data released on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)