Equity

The Indian rupee declined 12 paise to close at 96.65 (provisional) against the US dollar on Thursday, as heightened hostilities in West Asia kept global crude oil prices elevated. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 96.53 and traded in a narrow range of 96.45-96.65 during the day before eventually settling at 96.65. Local shares ended lower with benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty falling for a fourth consecutive session, as crude oil prices continued to surge in global markets, raising concerns over the potential impact on global energy supplies, inflation and the current account deficit. At close, the BSE Sensex fell 363.66 points (0.47%) to settle at 76,391.39, while the NSE Nifty 50 shed 126.65 points (0.53%) to finish at 23,869.60.Brent crude prices extended gains for a fifth straight session to surge above $98 a barrel after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed an attack on two Saudi oil tankers transiting through the Red Sea and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb and destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant any time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

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