The rupee plunged by 36 paise to hit a three-week low of 67.98 against the US dollar in early trade on strong demand for the greenback amid sustained foreign capital outflows.
Besides, strengthening of dollar against other currencies overseas, as the European Central Bank (ECB) pledged to leave interest rates unchanged until mid-2019, weighed on the rupee.
As per provisional data issued by stock exchanges, foreign portfolio investors had sold shares worth Rs 1,372.84 crore yesterday. The rupee had gained 3 paise to end at 67.62 against the US currency on Thursday, cutting short its two-day decline. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 66.25 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 35,666.07, in early trade.