Rupee down 15 paise to 44.61 a dollar

The rupee dropped further by 15 paise to 44.61 a dollar in early trade today on capital outflows by foreign funds and the US currency's gain overseas.

The rupee closed lower by 18 paise at 44.46/47 a dollar in the previous session. Forex dealers said capital outflows by foreign funds from equities and dollar's gains against other Asian currencies, mainly weighed on the rupee sentiment.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index, Sensex, fell by 78.21 points, or 0.43 per cent to 17,774.79 points in the opening trade today.