Rupee drops 17 paise against dollar in early trade

The rupee depreciated by 17 paise to Rs 45.62 a dollar in early trade on Thursday following weak domestic equity markets.

Dealers said dollar's gains against other currencies and a weak opening at bourses weighed on the Indian currency's sentiment. The rupee had ended 3 paise down at Rs 45.45/46 a dollar in the previous session.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex opened 154.10 points lower at 18,824.22 points.