Rupee down 10 paise at 46.03 in early trade

The rupee on Thursday fell by 10 paise to trade at two-week low of 46.03 a dollar in early trade following weakness in stock markets amid firm dollar overseas.

Besides, the dollar demand from importers also put pressure on the domestic unit.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit traded 10 paise lower at 46.03 a dollar, a two-week low. The rupee ended 13 paise lower at 45.93/94 in the previous session.

Dealers said that the American currency firmed up against other major global peers which weighed on rupee sentiment.

Dollar was trading nearly five-month high against the euro. It also strengthened against its other major rivals, boosted by a slide in commodity currencies on reports that some Chinese banks have been instructed to curb lending.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index Sensex was down by nearly 104 points at 17,370.48 points in early trade today.