Rupee falls 13 paise to 85.55 against US dollar in early trade

Mumbai: The rupee depreciated 13 paise to 85.55 against the American currency in early trade on Tuesday, tracking a muted trend in domestic equities and foreign fund outflows.

Forex traders said the recent surge in the US 10-year yield reflects mounting concerns over fiscal and monetary policies, driving borrowing costs higher and this has pushed the Dollar Index lower.

Moreover, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently warned of potential sharp tariff increases on key US trading partners. Such a move could rattle markets, traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 85.47 and fell to 85.55 against the greenback, registering a loss of 13 paise over its previous close.

On Monday, the rupee appreciated 15 paise to settle at 85.42 against the US dollar.

Rupee opened a tad weaker and will remain in a range of 85.25/75 for the day as there is no fresh market indicator for it to change course, said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.

"With US yields falling there could be some buying in USD to take the pair higher," Bhansali said, adding that the rupee is in a consolidating mode.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading lower by 0.06 per cent at 100.36.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently warned of potential sharp tariff increases on key US trading partners. Such trade disruptions could reintroduce recession fears and heighten global uncertainty, causing volatility across markets, Bhansali said.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.02 per cent to USD 65.55 per barrel in futures trade.

"Brent oil prices were muted at USD 65 per barrel as signs of faltering US-Iran deal eased some oversupply concerns but prospects of negotiations towards a Russia -Ukraine ceasefire weighed on the sentiment," Bhansali said.

Following a phone call between US president Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire and an end to the war.

In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 55.37 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 82,114.79, while the Nifty rose 10.65 points, or 0.04 per cent, to 24,956.10.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 525.95 crore on a net basis on Monday, according to exchange data.