Rupee rises 17 paise to 86.19 against U.S. dollar in early trade

Rupee gains 17 paise against dollar on positive equities, FII inflows; expected to trade between 86.00-86.80 in near term.

The rupee appreciated 17 paise to 86.19 against the U.S. dollar in early trade on Friday (March 21, 2025), tracking positive domestic equities and fresh foreign fund inflows.

Forex traders said the rupee has been gaining as FPIs turned net buyers for the second time during the week with respect to equity and have been buying heavily into debt.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 86.26 against the greenback, then gained some ground and touched 86.19, up 17 paise from its previous close.

On Thursday, the rupee stayed firm and appreciated 1 paisa to close at 86.36 against the U.S. dollar.

"On the domestic front, the Indian rupee experienced significant volatility, reacting to the U.S. Fed's meeting while drawing strength from strong FII inflows," CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth ₹3,239.14 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data.

"After weeks of outflows, foreign investors injected over ₹3,200 crore into Indian equities and a substantial ₹5,500 crore into debt markets driven by higher India's real yield standing at 3.028%," Pabari said.