The rupee lost 14 paise and traded at 92.42 against the U.S. dollar in early deals on Tuesday (March 17, 2026), as it failed to resist pressure from rising crude oil prices and the incessant withdrawal of foreign funds amid the heightened West Asia crisis.

Subdued domestic equity markets and elevated American currency also weighed on the local unit even as investors moved cautiously, awaiting the interest rate decision of the U.S. Federal Reserve, according to forex traders.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the local unit opened at 92.35 and fell further to trade at 92.42 against the U.S. dollar, registering a 14-paise decline from its previous closing level.

The local unit ended Monday’s (March 16) session with a marginal gain of 2 paise at 92.28 against the dollar.

The rupee, one of the worst-performing Asian currencies, touched its lowest intra-day level of 92.47 at the end of the previous week before closing the session at 92.30 against the dollar, its lowest-ever closing level until Friday (March 13).

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.19% higher at 99.65.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 2.68% at $102.87 per barrel in futures trade.

On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex declined 91.62 points, or 0.12%, to 75,411.23 in early trade, while the Nifty fell 34.25 points, or 0.15%, to 23,374.55.

The latest government data released on Monday (March 16) showed the country’s trade deficit narrowed to $27.1 billion in February compared to January.

Merchandise exports dropped marginally by 0.81% to $36.61 billion, while imports increased by 24.11% to $63.71 billion in February this year from $51.33 billion recorded a year ago.

Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth ₹9,365.52 crore on a net basis on Monday (March 16), according to exchange data.