The rupee eased by 5 paise to 44.44 a dollar in early trade today on capital outflows by foreign funds and the US currency's gain against other Asian currencies.
The rupee closed lower by 5 paise at 44.38/39 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 put pressure on the rupee sentiment.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index, Sensex, fell by 61.71 points, or 0.34 per cent to 17,683.57 points in the opening trade today.
