Indian rupee drops against UAE dirham, oil prices weigh

The Indian rupee depreciated 13 paise to 81.82 against the US dollar (22.29 against the Emirati dirham) in early trade on Wednesday, as a strengthening American currency and firm crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiments.

At the Indian interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened weak at 81.80 against the dollar, then fell to 81.82, registering a decline of 13 paise over its last close.

In the previous session on Tuesday, the rupee settled at 81.69 against the US dollar.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.49 per cent to 102.88.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, advanced 0.65 per cent to $86.48 per barrel.

Traders said market participants remain cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy statement.

"We expect the USD/INR spot to trade in a 81.55-81.85 range with sideways price action," IFA Global Research Academy said in a research note.

In the Indian equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 157.99 points or 0.26 per cent higher at 60,813.71. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 44.60 points or 0.25 per cent to 18,097.90.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net buyers in the capital markets on Tuesday as they purchased shares worth Rs2.11 billion, according to exchange data.

(With inputs from PTI)

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