THE RUPEE: Stable trend

Steadier trend was again witnessed on the currency market on Thursday as the rupee managed to hold present levels versus the dollar in the process of trading, dealers said.

INTER-BANK MARKET RATES: RATES: The rupee picked up five paisas against the dollar for buying and selling at Rs 154.89 and Rs 154.91 respectively, they said.

OPEN MARKET RATES: The rupee did not show any change versus the dollar for buying and selling at Rs 154.40 and Rs 154.70 respectively, they said. The rupee was trading in terms of the euro for buying and selling at Rs 171.00 and Rs 172.50 respectively, they said.

In the fourth trade, the New Zealand dollar bounced from a one-week low on Thursday after the country's third quarter economic growth came in stronger than expected while greenback traders awaited a vote to impeach US President Donald Trump.

In Britain, the pound remained under pressure on rekindled fears of a chaotic exit from the European Union. It was last at $1.3077 after sliding nearly 2% in as many days.

The kiwi climbed to $0.6589 from Wednesday's low of $0.6555 after New Zealand's annual gross domestic product accelerated 2.7 percent in the third quarter against expectations for a 2.4% gain.

Risk sensitive currencies such as the kiwi and its Australian counterpart started December on a firm footing led by the apparent removal of two main risks dominating global markets: a preliminary US-China trade deal and the election victory of UK Prime Minister.

The dollar was trading against the Indian rupee at Rs 70.880, the greenback was at 4.138 versus the Malaysian ringgit and the US currency was available at 7.001.

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Open Bid       Rs 154.40
Open Offer     Rs 154.70
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Interbank Closing Rates: Interbank Closing Rates For Dollar on Thursday.

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Bid Rate       Rs 154.89
Offer Rate     Rs 154.91
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RUPEE IN LAHORE: The Pak rupee showed stability and stayed unchanged on buying side while it lost 30-paisa on selling side in relation to the greenback in the local currency market on Thursday.

According to the currency dealers, the dollar resumed trading at its day earlier closing of Rs 154.40 and Rs 154.70 as its buying and selling rate, respectively. The dollar did not observe any change on supply side that helped rupee stability. However, following fresh demand, the dollar ended higher at Rs 155.00, the dealers said.

The rupee remained under pressure and depreciated its worth against the pound sterling. The pound's buying and selling rate improved from the overnight closing of Rs 200.90 and Rs 202.80 to Rs 201.50 and Rs 203.50, respectively, they added.

RUPEE IN ISLAMABAD AND RAWALPINDI: The dollar gained 10 paisas against the rupee at the open currency markets of Islamabad and Rawalpindi here on Thursday.

The dollar opened at Rs 155 (buying) and Rs 155.10 (selling) against last rate of Rs 154.90 (buying) and Rs 155 (selling).

It closed at Rs 155 (buying) and Rs 155.10 (selling).

The buying and selling rates of one tola of gold were Rs 84,400 (selling) and Rs 84,200 (buying) in the local Sarafa (gold) markets of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.