The Indian rupee on Thursday weakened against the US dollar, tracking the losses in its Asian peers.

The rupee closed at 66.81 against the US dollar, down 0.2% from its previous close of 66.68. The home currency opened at 66.69 a dollar. So far this year, it’s down 1%.

Most Asian currencies closed lower as traders are getting more focused on the US Federal Reserve rate hike in December as Hillary Clinton’s lead in the US presidential race remains intact after the last debate before the 8 November election. In the final presidential debate between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump tried to reverse the momentum in an election that polls show is tilting away from him.

South Korean won was down 0.38%, Thai Baht 0.32%, Japanese yen 0.26%, Philippines peso 0.19%, Singapore dollar 0.15%. However, Malaysian ringgit was up 0.08%.

India’s benchmark Sensex index closed at 28,129.84 points, up 0.52% or 145.47 points from its previous close. So far this year, it has gained 7.5%, while foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have bought $7.45 billion.

From 3 to 18 October, FIIs sold $1.17 billion in debt and so far this year they have sold $906.50 million.

The benchmark 10-year government bond yield closed at 6.76% compared to Wednesday’s close of 6.732%. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency’s strength against major currencies, was trading at 97.93, up 0.01% from its previous close of 97.92.

The European Central Bank is seen leaving policy unchanged at Thursday’s review, investors will be looking for signals regarding the outlook for its quantitative-easing programme

Sources :.livemint.com