The rupee depreciated 13 paise to 73.73 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday tracking muted domestic equities and a strengthening American currency.

At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened on a weak note at 73.67, then fell further to 73.73, registering a fall of 13 paise over its last close.

The rupee had settled at 73.60 against the US dollar on Tuesday.

Forex traders said a strong dollar, muted domestic equities and sustained foreign fund outflows weighed on investor sentiment. Further, tension on the Indo-China border, too, dampened investor sentiment.

India on Tuesday said Chinese troops attempted to close in on its position in eastern Ladakh a day earlier and fired shots in the air, in a rapid escalation of tensions where firearms were used along the line of actual control (LAC) after 45 years.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.02 per cent to 93.46.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,056.52 crore on a net basis on Tuesday, according to provisional exchange data.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.45 per cent to $39.60 per barrel.

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