The rupee depreciated 6 paise to 96.42 against the U.S. dollar in early trade on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) as heightened geopolitical uncertainty put pressure on most Asian currencies, including the rupee.

Forex traders said the rupee came under pressure from a combination of factors — crude oil prices climbed on renewed geopolitical tensions, and demand for the US dollar increased as investors moved toward safe-haven assets.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 96.41 then touched 96.42 registering a fall of 6 paise from its previous close.

On Monday (July 20, 2026), the rupee had settled at 96.36 against the American currency.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 100.97 up 0.03%.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 0.65% at $88.64 per barrel in futures trade.

As dollar index again rose to 100.97 while oil prices were well bid at $88.64 per barrel, traders weighed the U.S.-Iran conflict and the Houthi-Saudi blockade which could again risk the West Asia oil supplies, said Anil Kumar Bhansali Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex declined 58.89 points to 77,649.63 in opening trade, while the Nifty slipped 22.45 points to 24,216.05.

Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth ₹1,121.04 crore on a net basis on Monday (July 20, 2026), according to exchange data.