The rupee on Thursday fell by 39 paise to 51.17 against dollar on the Interbank Foreign Exchange market in early trade following strong month-end demand for the U.S. currency from importers.
Dealers said dollar gains against the euro and other currencies overseas, strong month-end demand for the American currency from oil importers mainly weighed on the rupee sentiment.
A weak opening in the equity market also impacted the rupee sentiment, they said. The rupee had ended lower by 9 paise at 50.78/79 against the dollar on Wednesday.
The BSE benchmark Sensex dipped below 17,000 level, losing 169.35 points, or 0.94 per cent, to 16,952.27 in early trade on Thursday.
