Rupee plunges by 26 paise against US dollar in early trade

MUMBAI: The Indian rupee on Monday fell by 26 paise against the US dollar in early trade owing to heavy capital outflow by foreign funds amid expectations of weak opening of the Indian bourses due to the Satyam fiasco.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit, which closed at 48.28/29 on Friday, plunged by 26 paise to 48.54 a dollar as weak Asian markets put pressure on rupee.

The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex closed down by over 181 points on Friday.