The Indian rupee rose 18 paise to close at 82.58 against the US dollar on Thursday, following gains in domestic equities and weak American currency. At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened at 82.64 against the US dollar, then gained further ground and touched a high of 82.58, registering a rise of 18 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee had settled at 82.76 against the greenback. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.20 per cent to 90.50. According to experts, the rupee gained strength as domestic equity markets traded higher on the back of optimism over the Covid-19 vaccine.
However, gains were capped as rising coronavirus cases in the US and Europe kept investors cautious. On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 645.19 points or 1.43 per cent higher at 45,653.48, while the NSE Nifty rose 182.25 points or 1.37 per cent to 13,538.25.