Sri Lankan rupee forwards closed firmer on Thursday as bond buying by foreign investors helped dollar inflows which eased pressure on the currency, dealers said. The dollar/rupee forwards, known as spot next, ended at 146.75/80 per dollar, gaining from Wednesday's close of 146.90/147.00. "There were dollar sales by two foreign banks after the bond auction. Many foreign investors seem to have bought bonds," a currency dealer said, asking not to be named. The market is also waiting for cues from a monetary policy announcement scheduled for Friday, analysts said. The central bank sold 44.69 billion rupees ($304.84 million) at an auction on Thursday.