Mumbai, June 4 - Continuing its slide for the fourth straight session, the BSE benchmark Sensex today fell further by nearly 162 points in early trade due to sustained selling by foreign funds amid a weakening trend on other Asian bourses.

The 30-share barometer, which has lost over 473 points in the previous three sessions, moved down further by 161.62 points, or 1.01 per cent, to 15,803.54 in opening trade.

All sectoral indices, led by healthcare, auto and power stocks, fell up to 1.53 per cent. Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty declined by 50.26 points, or 1.04 per cent, to 4,791.35.

Brokers said the trading sentiment remained bearish on sustained selling by funds and retail investors amid a weakening trend on other Asian bourses.

A deprecating rupee, which plunged to record low against the US dollar was another dampening factor, they added.

In the Asian region, the Japan's Nikkei fell by 2.16 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.16 per cent in early trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 2.22 per cent lower on Friday. PTI