Indian rupee down 17 paise vs US dollar in early trade

The rupee today lost 17 paise to 53.98 against the dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange market due to appreciation of the US currency against other currencies overseas.

Increased demand for the dollar from banks and importers and weak local equities also put pressure on the rupee,forex dealers said.

The rupee had closed down by one paisa at 53.81 a dollar in yesterday8217;s trade due to fresh dollar demand from importers amid firm global cues.

Meanwhile,the BSE benchmark Sensex fell by 84.12 points,or 0.42 per cent,at 19,651.65 in early trade today.