<p class="title">The Indian rupee advanced 22 paise to 71.48 per US dollar in opening trade on Thursday as global markets stabilised after the US and Iran toned down their war rhetoric.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened strong at 71.44 against the greenback.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The domestic unit had settled at 71.70 per dollar on Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Washington did not necessarily have to respond to Iranian attacks at American military bases in Iraq.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The comments came after Iran fired rockets at US facilities in Iraq in response to the killing of its top general Qassem Soleimani.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Reports said there were no US or Iraqi casualties from the Iranian strikes, amid speculation that Tehran may have deliberately pulled its punches to avoid a wider conflagration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Taking cues from the easing tensions, Asian stocks darted up in opening trade while oil markets recovered from supply disruption fears.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures was trading 0.64 per cent up at USD 65.86 per barrel.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Domestic equity benchmarks too participated in the relief rally.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 449.56 points or 1.10 per cent higher at 41,267.30 and the broader NSE Nifty surged 134.05 points or 1.11 per cent to 12,159.40.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Foreign funds sold shares worth a net Rs 515.85 crore on Wednesday, provisional data showed.</p>
<p class="title">The Indian rupee advanced 22 paise to 71.48 per US dollar in opening trade on Thursday as global markets stabilised after the US and Iran toned down their war rhetoric.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened strong at 71.44 against the greenback.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The domestic unit had settled at 71.70 per dollar on Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Washington did not necessarily have to respond to Iranian attacks at American military bases in Iraq.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The comments came after Iran fired rockets at US facilities in Iraq in response to the killing of its top general Qassem Soleimani.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Reports said there were no US or Iraqi casualties from the Iranian strikes, amid speculation that Tehran may have deliberately pulled its punches to avoid a wider conflagration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Taking cues from the easing tensions, Asian stocks darted up in opening trade while oil markets recovered from supply disruption fears.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures was trading 0.64 per cent up at USD 65.86 per barrel.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Domestic equity benchmarks too participated in the relief rally.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 449.56 points or 1.10 per cent higher at 41,267.30 and the broader NSE Nifty surged 134.05 points or 1.11 per cent to 12,159.40.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Foreign funds sold shares worth a net Rs 515.85 crore on Wednesday, provisional data showed.</p>