Rupee declines 27 paise to 90.95 against U.S. dollar in early trade

The rupee depreciated 27 paise to 90.95 against the U.S. dollar in early trade on Friday (February 20, 2026), weighed down by a strong American currency and higher crude oil prices due to the escalated geopolitical tension.

A selling rush in domestic equities further pressured the Indian currency, forex traders said. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 90.94 and slipped further to trade at 90.95 against the greenback in early deals, losing 27 paise from its previous closing level.

The rupee rose 4 paise to settle at 90.68 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday (February 18). The currency exchange markets were closed on Thursday (February 19, 2026) on account of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04% higher at 97.89.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.14% higher at $71.77 per barrel in futures trade. Analysts attributed the strengthening dollar and crude prices to heightened tension between the U.S. and Iran, with both countries signalling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme fizzle out.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 150.35 points to 82,347.79 in early trade while the Nifty declined 35.15 points to 25,419.20.

On Thursday (February 19), foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth ₹880.49 crore, according to exchange data.