The rupee strengthened by 12 paise to settle at 73.52 against the US dollar on Wednesday supported by buoyant domestic equities and weak American currency.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit witnessed high volatility against the US dollar ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy statement that will be released later in the day. During the session, the domestic unit touched an intra-day high of 73.48 and a low of 73.78 against the greenback.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.12 per cent to 92.94.