Rupee settles 18 paise lower to 86.04 per dollar

Mumbai: The rupee declined 18 paise and crossed the crucial 86.00-mark for the first time to 86.04 against the US dollar on Friday as it failed to resist pressure from a stronger American currency and huge outflow of foreign funds.

Surging crude oil prices overseas and negative sentiment in domestic equity markets also weighed down the Indian currency, forex traders said.

Also, dollar strengthened on increased demand amid the anticipation of restrictive trade measures by the new US administration after Donald Trump takes over as president on January 20.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 85.88, hit the intra-day peak of 85.85 before settling at the lowest-ever level of 86.04 against the greenback, 18 paise lower from its previous close.

On Thursday, the rupee gained 5 paise to settle at 85.86 against the US dollar, recovering from the steep decline of 17 paise in the preceding session.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 109.01. The 10-year US bond yields also rose to its April 2024 level at 4.69 per cent.