Mumbai: The rupee appreciated 6 paise to 79.76 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday as a positive trend in domestic equities supported the local unit.
However, a strong American currency overseas and forex outflows restricted the rupee's gain, dealers said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 79.76 against the American dollar, registering a gain of 6 paise over the last close.
In initial deals, the local unit witnessed an early high of 79.72 and low of 79.81 against the American currency.
The rupee on Friday rebounded from the near-80 levels to close higher by 17 paise at 79.82 against the US currency.
On the domestic equity front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 381.25 points or 0.71 per cent higher at 54,142.03, while the broader NSE Nifty advanced 136.35 points or 0.85 per cent to 16,185.55.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.26 per cent to 107.77.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.71 per cent to USD 101.88 per barrel.
Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital market on Friday, offloading shares worth Rs 1,649.36 crore, as per exchange data.
