Rupee gains 11 paise to finish at 73.04 against US dollar

The rupee gained for the third straight day and closed 11 paise higher at 73.04 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday, supported by sustained foreign fund inflows and weak American currency.

At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened at 73.18 and hit an intra-day high of 72.97 and a low of 73.18.

It finally finished at 73.04, higher by 11 paise over its last close.

On Wednesday, the rupee had settled at 73.15 against the American currency.

On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 91.84 points or 0.19 per cent higher at 49,584.16, while the broader NSE Nifty advanced 30.75 points or 0.21 per cent to 14,595.60.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.11 per cent to 90.26.

Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 1,879.06 crore on a net basis on Wednesday, according to provisional exchange data.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.21 per cent to USD 55.94 per barrel.