Mumbai, February 19: The Indian rupee today ended almost unchanged at 46.30/31 from its last close against the US currency after losing a hefty 19 paise in early trade following a sharp rise in dollar value against its main rivals in overseas markets.
The US Fed Reserve announced a hike in interest rate for short-term loans, the first increase in rates since 2006 after keeping them at historical low levels to prop up the economy.
The dollar hit nine-month high against the euro while up against a basket of currencies. The index of the dollar against six major currencies was up by 1.1 per cent.
At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the local unit lost 19 paise in intra-day at 46.47/48 a dollar.
However, it recovered some of the losses on emergence of dollar buying by banks as well as exporters and importers for their monthly settlement.
–Agencies