Rupee gains 18 paise against dollar in early trade

The rupee strengthened by 18 paise to 62.10 against the US dollar in early trade today at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on increased selling of the American currency by exporters.

Forex dealers said a higher opening in the domestic equity market also supported the rupee. The rupee had gained 9 paise to close at 62.28 against the dollar on Friday.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 42.66 points, or 0.21%, to 20,419.22 in early trade today.