Mumbai: The rupee declined 3 paise to 82.12 against the US dollar in early trade Friday, weighed down by a negative trend in domestic equities.
However, a weak greenback against major rivals overseas and persistent foreign capital inflows supported the domestic currency and restricted the loss, traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the local unit opened weak at 82.11 against the dollar and slipped further to 82.12, registering a fall of 3 paise over its previous close.
On Thursday, the rupee closed at 82.09 against the US currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, slipped 0.04 per cent to 101.83.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 312.99 points or 0.51 per cent to 61,591.53 in early trade Friday. The broader NSE Nifty declined 93.50 points or 0.51 per cent to 18,203.50.
Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, declined 0.59 per cent to USD 74.54 per barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers in the capital market Thursday as they purchased shares worth Rs 837.21 crore, according to exchange data.