The rupee fell by 8 paise to 74.91 against the US dollar in early trade on February 3, on firmness in the US currency and fall in domestic equities.
Forex traders said higher crude oil prices also pulled down the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 74.84 against the US dollar, then slipped further to 74.91, recording a fall of 8 paise over the previous close.
On February 2, the rupee had closed at 74.83 against the US currency.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.10% to 96.03.
Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.25% to $89.25 a barrel.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 278.94 points or 0.47% lower at 59,279.39, while the broader NSE Nifty was trading 77.30 points or 0.43% lower at 17,702.70.
Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital markets on Wednesday as they sold shares worth Rs 183.60 crore, according to stock exchange data.
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