At the interbank foreign exchange the rupee opened at 71.80 then gained further ground and touched a high of 71.78, registering a rise of 18 paise over its previous close

Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on India's ratings to 'negative' from 'stable', saying there was increasing risks that economic growth will remain materially lower than the past

The rupee opened weak at 71.10 at the interbank forex market and then fell further to 71.11, down 14 paise over its last close

While Sensex breached earlier record high level to hit a fresh all-time high of 40,606.91 mark on Wednesday, Nifty made an intraday high to 12,002.90 level, trading 0.80% or 100 points away from the 52-week high of 12,103.05

The overall drop in consumption witnessed in sectors like Auto, FMCG, Consumer Durables has dragged the economic growth lower.

Market participants said higher opening in domestic equity market, and hopes for a US-China trade deal also supported the local currency

Benchmark indices extended their dream run on the expiry of October futures and options contracts, with BSE Sensex ending 77.18 points higher at 40,129 and the NSE Nifty closing 33.35 points higher at 11,877.45.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened strong at 70.75, showing a gain of 15 paise over its previous closing. On Friday, the rupee had appreciated by 12 paise to settle at 70.90 against the US dollar

BSE Sensex, after opening on a firm footing at 39,397.37, inched up to 39,402.23 as investors accumulated select auto, IT and bank stocks. NSE Nifty climbed 43.25 points, to finish at 11,627.15

At the interbank foreign exchange the rupee opened at 70.79, then gained further and touched a high of 70.70, registering a rise of 21 paise over its previous close