Rupee opens 2 paise lower against dollar

MUMBAI: The rupee opened 2 paise lower at Rs 45.64 per US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange today amid demand for the American currency from importers and appreciation of the greenback against other currency rivals overseas.

The rupee had strengthened by 13 paise to Rs 45.62/63 per dollar in the previous session.

Forex dealers said gains registered by the dollar against euro overseas, in addition to demand from importers, mainly weighed on the rupee sentiment.

However, a higher opening in the stock market and closure of Asian markets to mark the Lunar New Year restricted the rupee losses, they said.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by 57.32 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 18,147.94 in opening trade today.

TOI

Sensex snaps 7-day rally; sheds 85 pts

Snapping a seven-day long rally, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex ended lower by 84 points on emergence of profit-booking amid the Reserve Bank increasing key policy rates.

The 30-share Sensex pared 135 points it gained during the day and closed 84.62 points lower at 19,417.49.

The broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty fell by 32.25 points at 5,828.70, after touching the day's high of 5,901.65 points. The Nifty crossed 5,900 points for the first time in 32 months.

In 30-BSE index components, 19 stocks fell and 10 gained, while ITC Ltd remained unchanged. Market leaders Reliance Industries and Infosys Technologies registered losses.

Reliance Industries fell by Rs 9.55 to Rs 1,000.90 and second-heaviest Infosys Technologies by Rs 82.35 to Rs 2,967.80. The two carry nearly 23 per cent weight on the Sensex.

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