BLBG: Indian Rupee Falls to Lowest Since 2002 on Fund Outflow Concern
By Anil Varma
Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- India's rupee fell to its lowest since 2002 on speculation a rout in equities worldwide will encourage investors to take more money out of the nation's financial market.
The currency declined for a fourth day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 5.1 percent yesterday and Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 5 percent today. India's benchmark share index fell to a two-year low yesterday. Funds based abroad sold $9.8 billion more Indian shares than they bought this year, according to the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
The rupee fell 0.9 percent to 48.375 versus the dollar as of 9:16 a.m. in Mumbai, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The currency touched 48.39, the weakest intraday level since October 2002.
To contact the reporters on this story: Anil Varma in Mumbai at avarma3@bloomberg.net.