The rupee weakened for the fourth straight session on Monday, breaching the 91-per-dollar level for the second time in a month before closing 14 paise lower at 90.92 (provisional) against the US dollar, pressured by sustained foreign fund outflows and risk aversion linked to global trade uncertainties, dealers said.At the interbank foreign exchange market, the domestic unit opened at 90.68 and slipped to an intra-day low of 91.01 during the session. It eventually settled at 90.92, just a paise above its record-low closing level, PTI reported. On December 16, 2025, the rupee had touched an all-time intra-day low of 91.14 and closed at 90.93.Market participants said weakness in domestic equities outweighed supportive cues from a softer dollar and easing crude prices. Investor sentiment was further dented after Donald Trump warned of tariffs on European countries if they opposed his plan related to Greenland, adding to global trade jitters.On Friday, the rupee had already tumbled 44 paise to close near its historic low at 90.78, extending losses after declines in the preceding sessions.Anuj Choudhary, research analyst at Mirae Asset ShareKhan, said the currency remained under pressure due to persistent FII outflows and weak local markets. “Dollar demand from corporates and hedgers also weighed on the rupee,” he said, adding that risk aversion amid geopolitical tensions between the US and Europe could keep the bias negative.“FII outflows and uncertainty around trade deal talks may continue to pressure the rupee. However, a weak dollar and easing tensions between the US and Iran could provide some support at lower levels,” Choudhary said, pegging the near-term USD-INR trading range at Rs 90.60–91.30.The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against six major currencies, was down 0.23% at 98.97. Brent crude futures slipped 0.94% to $63.53 a barrel.Equities remained under strain, with the Sensex falling 324.17 points, or 0.39%, to close at 83,246.18, while the Nifty declined 108.85 points, or 0.42%, to 25,585.50. Foreign institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 4,346.13 crore on Friday, exchange data showed.
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