The Sri Lankan rupee touched a fresh low on Thursday on dollar demand from importers, just days after it slipped to a record low, but a late bout of selling of the US currency by exporters helped cut losses, dealers said. The spot rupee hit an all-time low of 160.00 per dollar, breaching its previous record low of 159.80 hit on Monday. The rupee, however, ended the day at 159.70/90 per dollar, lower than Wednesday's close of 159.50/70. The currency has declined 4 percent this year.
"The dollar demand was there in the morning and after the dollar hit 160.. we saw some small time exporters coming into market," a currency dealer said.