Rupee down 9 paise in early trade on fresh demand for US unit

The rupee weakened by nine paise to 66.19 against the dollar in early trade, snapping its two-day winning run, on fresh demand for the US unit from importers.

Besides, the dollar's gain against euro in global market after the Paris attack added to the caution on the common currency and a lower opening in the domestic equity market put pressure on the rupee, forex dealers said.

The rupee had gained 21 paise to end at 66.10 against the US dollar in Friday's trade on heavy selling of the American currency from banks and exporters amid weak domestic macro-economic data and fall in equities.

Data released before the Tokyo market opened showed that Japan's economy slipped back into recession in the July-September quarter, contracting at a 0.8% annualised rate, compared with the median estimate for a 0.2% contraction.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex dropped by 118.88 points or 0.46% to 25,491.65 in early trade.