Rupee down 21 paise against dollar in early trade

Extending its losses for the third straight day, the rupee fell by another 21 paise to 62.30 against the dollar in early trade today on the Interbank Foreign Exchange market due to appreciation of the American unit against other currencies overseas.

The rupee had shed 8 paise to close at 62.09 against the dollar in yesterday's trade.

Dealers attributed the rupee's fall to dollar gains against other currencies overseas, but a higher opening in the domestic equity market capped the fall.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex today surged by 157.59 points, or 0.75%, to 21,017.45 in early trade.