Mumbai, March 13 The rupee hit a fresh all-time intra-day low of 92.44 against the US dollar on Friday, down 19 paise from its previous close, as rising global crude oil prices amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia kept international markets on edge.
A stronger US dollar, heavy outflows by foreign investors, and sustained selling in the domestic equity markets further weighed on the rupee, according to forex traders.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 92.33 and continued to decline, hitting a fresh intra-day low of 92.44 against the US dollar, down 19 paise from its previous close.
The rupee fell 24 paise to settle at its lowest level ever at 92.25 against the US dollar.
The dollar index, which measures the strength of the US dollar against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 99.77, up 0.04 per cent.
Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, was trading at USD 96.57 per barrel in futures trade, up 4.99 per cent.
On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex plunged by 917.69 points, or 1.21 per cent, to close at 75,116.73, while the Nifty fell by 308.40 points, or 1.30 per cent, to close at 23,330.75.
Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 7,049.87 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, retail inflation rose to 3.21 per cent in February, compared to 2.74 per cent in the previous month, driven mainly by higher food prices, according to government data released on Thursday.