Rupee up by 2 paise at 72.53 against US dollar

Persistent foreign fund inflows and lower crude prices supported the domestic unit, forex traders said.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened strong at 72.48 against the greenback but failed to hold on to gains following a massive selloff in the domestic equity markets.

During the session, it witnessed an intra-day high of 72.43 and a low of 72.60. It finally settled 2 paise higher at 72.53 against the American currency. On Wednesday, the rupee had settled at 72.55 against the American currency.

On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 585.10 points or 1.17 per cent lower at 49,216.52, while the broader NSE Nifty dropped 163.45 points or 1.11 per cent to 14,557.85.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback''s strength against a basket of six currencies, advanced 0.24 per cent to 91.65.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.35 per cent to USD 67.76 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors remained net buyers in the capital market as they bought shares worth Rs 2,625.82 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.