NEW DELHI: Rupee continued to slide against the US dollar on Monday. It ended 8 paise lower at 90.28 (provisional) against the US dollar, pressured by firm American currency and weak equity market sentiment.Renewed geopolitical tensions triggered by the US military action in Venezuela strengthened the dollar across global markets, forex dealers said, overshadowing the supportive impact of lower crude oil prices on the rupee at weaker levels, reported PTI.
The domestic currency opened at 90.21 in the interbank market, slid to a session low of 90.50 amid sustained dollar buying, and later recovered partially to close at 90.28 (provisional). The session marked the rupee’s losing streak for a fourth consecutive day, taking its cumulative fall to 53 paise since December 30, 2025, when it had settled at 89.75 against the US dollar.The rupee weakened as escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Venezuela triggered risk aversion in currency markets, according to Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst – Commodities Research at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, as quoted by PTI. Although the rupee found some support from softer crude oil prices and foreign fund inflows seen at the end of last week, Choudhary added that easing oil prices could help limit downside pressure at lower levels, while any intervention by the Reserve Bank of India may also lend support. He further said that market participants are likely to track the US ISM manufacturing PMI for further cues, with the USD-INR spot pair expected to move within the 90–90.60 range. Reflecting the risk-off sentiment, the dollar index, measuring the currency against a basket of six major currencies, was up 0.24 per cent at 98.39. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures slipped 0.36 per cent to $60.53 per barrel. Domestic equities also remained under pressure, with the benchmark Sensex falling 322.39 points, or 0.38 per cent, to close at 85,439.62, while the Nifty declined 78.25 points, or 0.30 per cent, to end at 26,250.30. Foreign institutional investors, however, provided some relief, turning net buyers with equity purchases worth Rs 289.80 crore on Friday, according to exchange data. Additionally, Reserve Bank of India data released on Friday showed India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by$3.293 billion to $696.61 billion in the week that ended December 26, following an increase of $4.368 billion in the previous reporting period.
