COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan rupee was steady on Thursday amid importer dollar demand, as banks were reluctant to trade below the 144.00 level desired by the central bank, dealers said.
Some foreign outflow from t-bonds was also seen in the market, dealers said.
"There is demand for dollars. We have also seen some foreign investors selling bonds," a dealer said asking not to be named. Another dealer said there was importer dollar demand and nobody was trading the spot rupee below 144.00.
The spot rupee traded flat at 144.00/20 per dollar at 0857 GMT.
The rupee forwards and swaps were actively traded on Thursday for the second straight session.
Dealers said the one-week forward, which acted as a proxy for the spot currency, was trading at 144.45/55 per dollar at 0857 GMT compared with Wednesday's close of 144.30/50.
The rupee is under pressure despite a 150-basis-point increase in commercial banks' statutory reserve ratio from Jan. 16. The central bank kept its key policy interest rates unchanged on Monday.
Sri Lanka's main stock index was 0.15 percent firmer at 6,325.85 at 0900 GMT. Turnover stood at 548.45 million rupees ($3.8 million).
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