LIV: Rupee closes marginally lower against US dollar
Mumbai: The rupee on Monday closed marginally lower against the US dollar, tracking the losses in its Asian peers.
The rupee closed at 66.74 a dollar, down 0.04% from its previous close of 66.75. The home currency opened at 66.75 against the US dollar. So far this year, it has fallen 0.9%.
Asian currencies closed lower as traders turned cautious ahead of the US presidential election on Tuesday. The Japanese yen was down 1.22%, Singapore dollar 0.44%, Philippines peso 0.37%, Malaysian ringgit 0.32%, Chinese renminbi 0.26%, Chinese offshore 0.18%, Indonesian rupiah 0.14% and Thai baht 0.13%. However, the South Korean won was up 0.04%
India’s benchmark Sensex index closed at 27,458.99 points, up 184.84 points, or 0.68%, from its previous close. So far this year, it has gained 6.2%.
The benchmark 10-year government bond yield closed at 6.835% compared with Friday’s close of 6.841%. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.
Foreign institutional investors have sold $719.80 million in debt and bought $6.67 billion in equity till date this year.
The dollar index, which measures the US currency’s strength against major currencies, was trading at 97.594, up 0.55% from its previous close of 97.065.
The US economy added 161,000 jobs in October last month, according to data released on Friday. The unemployment rate stood at 4.9%—in line with expectations—as investors digested the final payrolls report before Tuesday’s election.