Rupee staged a recovery in early trade on Friday, rising 22 paise against the US dollar after opening on a weak note, with likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India helping the domestic currency steady despite crude oil prices breaching the $100-a-barrel mark.The currency, which had ended 20 paise weaker at 96.73 on Thursday, opened at 96.81 in the interbank foreign exchange market before strengthening to 96.51. Traders said a softer US dollar lent some support, though foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows and continued weakness in domestic equities capped gains.Rupee remained under pressure as Brent crude crossed the $100 mark amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The US military announced a 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Thursday as clashes over shipping routes intensified. The attacks followed claims by Yemen’s Houthi that two Saudi oil tankers had been targeted in the Red Sea, with international oil prices moving above $100 per barrel.Brent crude, the global benchmark, was trading 0.12% higher at $100.8 per barrel in futures trade.Explaining the factors behind the currency’s movement, Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said, “The key factors for the weak opening of the rupee were — Brent crude oil remained elevated, increasing dollar demand from Indian oil marketing companies while importer dollar buying remained strong through the session. RBI intervention via state-owned banks prevented a much larger depreciation, while softer dollar index provided only limited support.“The dollar index, which tracks the US currency against a basket of six major currencies, was marginally lower by 0.01% at 101.43.Meanwhile, Dalal Street remained under pressure. Sensex fell 512.07 points to 75,869.38 in early trade, marking its fifth straight session of losses, while Nifty declined 153 points to 23,713.60.Foreign Institutional Investors continued to pare their holdings, with exchange data showing net equity sales worth Rs 2,999.23 crore on Thursday.
