The Sensex at the Bombay stock Exchange fell 91 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 19,052, ahead of domestic industrial output data, on continued selling by funds, amid weak regional bourses. Later, the Sensex trimmed it losses, and stood 40 points, or 0.2 percent in the red, at 19,103 in afternoon trade, a short while ago.
Stock markets in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea had lost between 0.3 percent and 1.9 percent, today. The US Dow Jones Industiral Average had fallen 0.8 percent in yesterday's trade.
The rupee ruled firm in the late morning trade by gaining 21 paise to 58.18 rupees per dollar on fresh selling of dollars by banks and exporters amidst weak equity market. The rupee resumed higher at 58.20 rupees per dollar against the last closing level of 58.39 per dollar at the Interbank Foreign Exchange, Forex Market and hovered in a range of 58.11 per dollar and 58.36 per dollar before quoting at 58.18 per dollar. Fresh selling of dollars by banks and exporters at the current level mainly boosted the rupee value against the
dollar.