Rupee down 3 paise against US dollar in early trade

The Indian rupee fell by 3 paise to Rs45.33 per US dollar in early trade on the Interback Foreign Exchange today, snapping weighed down by a weak opening in the stock market.

Dealers said the rupee weakness was due to a lower opening in the stock market and some demand for the American currency. However, dollar depreciation against other Asian currencies capped the rupee's losses.

The rupee had appreciated by 18 paise against the US currency to close at three-week high of Rs45.30/31 yesterday on sustained dollar-selling by exporters and banks amid weakness of the greenback overseas.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex fell by 134.44 points, or 0.76%, to 17,641.26 in opening trade today.