Rupee rises 16 paise to close at 96.72 against U.S. dollar

The rupee appreciated 16 paise to close at 96.72 (provisional) against the U.S. dollar on Friday (October 9, 2026), in tandem with its broader Asian peers, supported by a slight softening in the U.S. dollar and crude oil prices.

Forex traders said the greenback weakened and crude oil prices eased following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. would refrain from military action against Iran ahead of the November midterm elections.

Moreover, likely intervention from the central bank offered a crucial cushion to the domestic unit.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 96.74 against the U.S. dollar; in intraday trade, the rupee touched a high of 96.51 and a low of 96.77 against the greenback.

At the end of the trading session on Friday (October 9, 2026), the rupee closed at 96.72 (provisional), higher by 16 paise over its previous close.

On Thursday (October 8, 2026), the rupee depreciated by 13 paise to close at 96.88 against the U.S. dollar.

“The Indian rupee appreciated after three days of weakness, strengthening against the U.S. dollar in tandem with its broader Asian peers. The greenback weakened as crude oil prices eased and risk appetite surged across global markets,” said Dilip Parmar – Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities.

Parmar further noted that the upbeat sentiment followed remarks by President Trump confirming that the U.S. would refrain from military action against Iran ahead of the November midterm elections.

Providing further support to the rupee, the likely intervention from the central bank offered a crucial cushion, he said, adding that in the near term, the trend of the USD-INR remains constructive, with higher side resistance pegged around 97 and support at 95.30.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 102.09, lower by 0.04%.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 1.28% at $102.95 per barrel in futures trade.

On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex jumped 879.09 points to settle at 72,472.33, while the Nifty surged 288.65 points to 22,520.45.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹12,943.58 crore on a net basis on Thursday (October 8, 2026), according to exchange data.