Rupee rises 1 paisa to 95.73 against U.S. dollar in early trade

The rupee rose marginally by 1 paisa to 95.73 on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) assisted by RBI intervention. With oil prices above $91, there were bids from oil businesses… the key point is that the rupee is showing reasonable resilience despite the oil shock, largely because of suspected continued RBI intervention,” Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, remarked.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (August 18) that the U.S. has no negotiations planned with Iran but insisted the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and operating”, despite limited traffic and a reported strike on a ship exiting the waterway.

Meanwhile, the dollar index. It gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 99.56, down 0.09 per cent.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.71% at $91.67 per barrel in futures trade.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex was down 166.19 points to 77,070.93 in early trade while the Nifty declined 59 points to 24,096.75.

Foreign institutional investors purchased equities worth Rs 1,651.53 crore on a net basis on Tuesday, according to exchange data.