The Indian rupee reached its highest level of the year on Wednesday due to expected inflows into equities, increased hedging-related dollar sales by local exporters, and a reduction in bearish positions on the currency. The rupee increased by 0.5 per cent to reach a peak of 84.78 per dollar, following the upward trend of Asian currencies, which had risen by up to 0.8 per cent on that day. Attribution: Reuters Subediting: M. S. Salama