Rupee falls 15 paise to close at 84.45 against US dollar

The rupee settled for the day 15 paise lower at 84.45 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, amid growing uncertainty and a cautious recalibration of risk appetite.

According to forex traders, the USD/INR pair was supported by an overall decline in crude oil prices and sustained foreign fund inflows, while ongoing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan weighed on investor sentiments, keeping the rupee on edge.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 84.28 and moved between an intra-day high of 84.26 and a low of 84.63 against the greenback. The unit ended the session at 84.45 (provisional), registering a fall of 15 paise over its previous closing level.

On Monday, the rupee surged 27 paise to settle at 84.30 against the US dollar.

"Fuelled by geopolitical tensions and weakening domestic equities, the dollar inched up against the rupee. Adding to the rupee's woes were central bank interventions and a soft Chinese yuan. Consequently, the USDINR spot rate is projected to consolidate between 84.25 and 84.90 in the near term," Dilip Parmar, Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, said.

Meanwhile, amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Union Home Ministry has asked all states to conduct mock drills on May 7.

The measures to be taken during the drill include the operationalisation of air raid warning sirens and training of civilians on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack", a communication to chief secretaries of all states and administrators of Union territories said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding a series of high-level meetings, including with top defence functionaries, as India weighs its options for countermeasures against the April 22 terror attack which left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading lower by 0.05% at 99.78.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 2.86% to $61.95 per barrel in futures trade.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 155.77 points, or 0.19%, to close at 80,641.07, while the Nifty fell 81.55 points, or 0.33%, to settle at 24,379.60.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth ₹497.79 crore on a net basis on Monday, according to exchange data.

On the domestic macroeconomic front, India's service sector activity accelerated slightly in April largely driven by a quicker increase in new order inflows.

The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index reached 58.7 in April, up from 58.5 in March, indicating a sharp and stronger expansion in service sector output.