The Rupee on Friday plunged 31 paise to 62.24 against the US dollar at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on increased demand for the American currency from importers. Forex dealers said a weak opening in the domestic equity market and dollar’s gains against other currencies overseas put pressure on the rupee. The rupee had lost 12 paise to close at two-week low of 61.93 against the dollar on Friday. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex slipped from its record closing high by losing over 82 points in early trade on Friday as funds and retail investors booked profits after recent gains amid a weak trend in the Asian region. The 30-share barometer, which had gained over 310 points in the previous four sessions, lost 82.20 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 21,291.46, with banking, metal, healthcare and realty sector stocks leading the fall. Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty declined 27.15 points, or 0.43 per cent, to 6,318.50. Brokers said besides profit-booking by funds and retail investors at record level, a weak trend on other Asian bourses tracking overnight falls on Wall Street mainly influenced the sentiment here. In the Asian region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell by 0.93 per cent while Japan’s Nikkei by 1.54 per cent in early trade on Thursday. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended lower by 1.07 per cent in Thursday’s trade.

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