Mumbai, April 07: The rupee today closed 9 paise lower against the US currency, after touching a fresh 19-month high in early trade, on firm dollar demand from importers.
In active trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic currency closed at 44.54/55 a dollar, a loss of 9 paise.
During the day-trade, the rupee had touched a high of 44.31 on the back of firm equities at initial stages.
However, dollar demand from importers weighed on the rupee sentiment and it fell back to a low of 44.58 before concluding the day at 44.54/55 a dollar.
Dealers said firm dollar overseas against its major rivals too put pressure on the rupee. The euro held near one-week low against the dollar.
Regular flow of foreign funds into the equity market mainly boosted the rupee value recently, they added.
–Agencies