Rupee falls past 45 per dollar

The Indian rupee weakened past the 45-per-dollar mark for the first time since end March as a fall in domestic shares and weaker regional peers weighed on sentiment.

At 9:25 a.m. the partially convertible rupee was at 45.09/10 per dollar,after hitting 45.13,its lowest since March 31,and below 44.9350/9450 at close on Wednesday. Indian shares fell 0.2 per cent in early trade on Thursday,with Infosys Technologies and Reliance Industries leading the decline,as world stocks extended losses on concerns in the euro zone.

The dollar index was down 0.10 per cent,but traders said that the currency was still much stronger than it was when the rupee closed on Wednesday.

The euro was pinned near one-year lows against the US dollar on Thursday,trying to find its footing after falling through key support levels as concerns about the sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone mounted.