Rupee falls by 8 paise in opening trade

The rupee depreciated by 8 paise to 45.75 a dollar in early trade on Friday as the US currency strengthened against major global currencies.

The dollar’s gains against major currencies weiged on the rupee sentiments, dealers said. The US currency strengthened against Euro as European economic data suggested a weak and slow recovery, while Japan calling for a weaker yen further boosted the greenback.

On the domestic front, flat equity markets provided little clarity on the direction of funds flows which put pressure on the rupee, dealers said.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit traded 8 paise lower at 45.75 a dollar. The rupee had ended 17 paise higher at 45.67/68 a dollar in the previous trading.

Meanwhile, the BSE sensex gained 32.32 points at 17,648.04 points in early trade.