Rupee advanes 18 paise to 76.15 against US dollar in early trade

The rupee advanced 18 paise to 76.15 against the US dollar in the opening trade on Friday, tracking the weakness of the American currency in the overseas market.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 76.15 against the US dollar, registering a rise of 18 paise from the previous close, even as the domestic equities were trading in the negative territory.

In the previous session, the rupee had appreciated 6 paise to settle at 76.33 against the US dollar.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.22 per cent to USD 119.29 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.33 per cent to 98.46.

On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 140.88 points or 0.24 per cent lower at 57,454.80, while the broader NSE Nifty slipped 39.50 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 17,183.25.

Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital market on Thursday as they sold shares worth Rs 1,740.71 crore, according to stock exchange data.