KARACHI, Nov 19: The rupee ended weaker on Wednesday amid a lack of inflows but dealers said they expected it to stabilise on improved sentiment following a government agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The rupee was quoted closing at 79.22/28 to the dollar compared with Tuesday's close of 79.10/20.

The agreement with the IMF on a $7.6 billion emergency loan should help the rupee stabilise, at least in the short-term, after a sharp depreciation of the currency this year as a balance of payments crisis developed, dealers said.

The rupee has lost 22.2 per cent against the dollar this year.

“Trading was dull today but in the short-term, at least, the rupee should be stable,” said a currency dealer.—Reuters