Indian rupee ended weaker against dollar on Wednesday, on emergence of demand for the greenback from importers. Sentiments were downbeat as Reserve Bank of India in its latest data has showed that credit growth to the industrial sector remained in the negative territory during 2020-21, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns. It said personal loans continued to grow at robust pace and recorded 13.5 per cent growth (Y-o-Y) in March 2021; industrial loan growth, on the other hand, remained negative during all quarters of 2020-21. On the global front, dollar was heading for its biggest monthly rise since March on Wednesday, supported by traders' trepidation ahead of unpredictable U.S. labour data and concern over the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant.
Finally, the rupee ended 74.32, weaker by 9 paise from its previous close of 74.23 on Tuesday. The currency touched a high and low of 74.45 and 74.23 respectively.