Rupee ends 2021 on positive note; settles 13 paise higher at 74.29 against USD

The rupee surged 13 paise to close at 74.29 (provisional) against the US dollar on the last trading session of 2021, tracking positive domestic equities amid year-end dollar selling by banks and exporters.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened up at 74.35 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 74.10 and a low of 74.38. It finally settled at 74.29, a rise of 13 paise.

In the previous session, the rupee surged 29 paise to close at a more than one-month high of 74.42 against the US dollar.

On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 459.50 points or 0.80 per cent higher at 58,253.82, while the broader NSE Nifty surged 150.10 points or 0.87 per cent to 17,354.05.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against the basket of six currencies, fell 0.04 per cent to 95.92.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.74 per cent to USD 78.94 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Thursday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 986.32 crore, as per exchange data.