Rupee up 7 paise against US dollar in early trade

The Indian rupee strengthened by 7 paise to Rs 45.15 against the US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Tuesday, supported by a better trend in the equity market and dollar-selling by exporters.

The Indian currency had depreciated by 21 paise to close at a two-month low of Rs 45.22/23 against the US dollar in the previous session following increased dollar demand from importers.

Forex dealers said the higher opening in the stock market and dollar-selling by exporters mainly supported the rupee gains on Tuesday. In addition, dollar weakness against other Asian currencies also supported the rupee's rise, they said.

The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex regained the 18,000-mark by rising 113.45 points to 18,106.78 in opening trade.