Rupee gains 6 paise to 66.80 against dollar

Mumbai: The rupee recovered by 6 paise to 66.80 against the dollar in early trade today at the Interbank Foreign Exchange on fresh selling of the American currency by exporters and banks.

Forex dealers said a higher opening in the domestic equity market also supported the rupee but weak economic data and dollar's strength against other currencies overseas limited the gains.

The rupee had slipped five paise to close at 66.86 against the greenback in yesterday's trade on persistent dollar demand from importers amid fall in equity market. Meanwhile, the benchmark Sensex rose 188.34 points, or 0.76 percent, to trade at 24,870.30 in early trade today.