Rupee plumbs new lows at 85.83; no relief seen on the horizon
New Indian ExpressThe rupee continued to its southward-ho for the fourth month, losing 4 paise to close at new low of 85.83 against US dollar on Monday, weighed in the blood bath on the equity markets amidst the persisting bearish tilt Traders said the rupee hit a new lifetime low as it was hurt by a persistent bearish outlook on the currency that has been troubled by a broadly stronger dollar and tepid capital flows following a slowdown in economic growth. The blood bath on Dalal Street also added to the fall wherein the Sensex bled 1.7 percent from Friday’s close while the Nifty plunged 1.6 percent to close below the sensitive 24,000 mark. Meanwhile, the dollar index was down 0.3 percent at 108.5, retreating from an over two-year high, but that did little to help the rupee in the face of strong dollar bids in the local spot and in the non-deliverable forwards market, traders said, adding dollar demand from foreign banks, likely on behalf of custodial clients, also weighed on the rupee during the session. The equity markets saw a 'Monday mayhem', with the benchmark Sensex crashing 1.6 percent the Nifty bleeding by 1.8 percent as investors were spooked by the new viral infection called the HMPV in China and a few other Asian nations.