Rupee falls by 2 paise against U.S. dollar in opening trade

The Indian rupee opened 2 paise lower at Rs. 45.28 per U.S. dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Wednesday amid foreign fund outflows.

A weak opening in the stock market due to foreign fund outflows put pressure on the Indian rupee, forex dealers said.

Gains registered by the U.S. dollar against other currency rivals also influenced the trading sentiment, they added.

The rupee fell sharply by 28 paise to 45.2650/2750 against the American currency on Tuesday due to heavy dollar demand from importers on the back of soaring oil prices amid spiralling tensions in the Middle East.

The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex opened 44.79 points lower at 18,251.37 on Wednesday.