Indian Rupee Rises Slightly to 90.23 on RBI Intervention

MUMBAI, India – The Indian rupee strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, December 18, 2025, closing at around 90.23 after a marginal gain of about 15 paise from the previous day's level of 90.38, amid suspected intervention by the Reserve Bank of India to curb further depreciation.

The currency opened at 90.35 in interbank trading and climbed to an intraday high of 90.04, reflecting a temporary recovery of up to 34 paise. Forex traders attributed the uptick to the RBI's reported sale of dollars in the market, which helped stabilize the rupee following its plunge to a record low earlier in the week. Steady Brent crude oil prices, hovering near 59 U.S. dollars per barrel, also provided some support by easing import cost pressures for India, a major oil consumer. However, gains were limited by a rebound in the dollar index, which rose 0.16 percent to 98.52, and subdued performance in domestic equity markets, where the Sensex fell 77.84 points to 84,481.81 and the Nifty dropped 3 points to 25,815.55.

The rupee's brief respite came after it breached the 91-per-dollar mark for the first time on Tuesday, December 16, settling at a historic low of 91.02. This marked...