The Indian rupee fell by 20 paise to Rs 49.38 per US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange today due to appreciation of the American currency against the euro and Asian rivals overseas.
In addition, a lower opening in the domestic equity market weighed on the rupee sentiment, according to forex dealers.
The rupee had strengthened by 8 paise to close at Rs 49.18/19 against the US dollar in the previous session on late dollar-selling by exporters.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex was down by 51.77 points, or 0.30%, at 17,413.08 in opening trade today.
