Rupee gains 7 paise against dollar in early trade

Mumbai, Aug 26 (PTI) The rupee firmed up 7 paise to 66.98against the dollar in early trade today on increased sellingof the US currency by exporters and banks amid a higheropening in the domestic equity market. Forex dealers said weakness in the dollar against othercurrencies overseas supported the rupee. Further, a higher opening in the domestic equity marketgave the uptrend some momentum, they added. On Thursday, the domestic unit ended higher by 6 paise at67.05 against the greenback on bouts of dollar selling bybanks and exporters. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 84.81 points,or 0.30 per cent, to 27,920.72, in early session today. PTI DPKPSMKJ