Rupee extends rally, surges 18 paise to gain past 69 mark in early trade

Overseas investors poured in more than Rs 20,400 crore in the domestic capital market in the first half of March, mainly driven by positive global cues.

Continuing its upward journery, the rupee gained past 69 level against the US dollar for the first time since August 10, 2018 in the early trade on Monday. The domestic unit opened at 68.91, up 18 paise against Friday's close of 69.09. 

On the macro front, India’s trade deficit for February narrowed to a 17-month low of $9.6 billion in February as merchandise imports fell on the back of lower crude oil prices. Exports rose 2.44 per cent to $26.67 billion in February from a year earlier, while imports were down 5.41 per cent to $36.26 billion. 

Gold imports in