Mumbai, May 28: The rupee strengthened early on Friday backed by gains in most regional peers and a firm start to the local sharemarket while a steady euro also boosted sentiment.
* At 9:12 a.m. the partially convertible rupee was at 46.73/74 per dollar, stronger than 47.29/30 at close on Wednesday. The market was closed on Thursday for a local holiday.
* The index of the dollar against six major currencies however was up half a percent and was likely to limit sharp gains in the rupee.
* Indian shares rose more than 1 percent in early trade on Friday, with Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank leading the rise, taking cues from firm world markets.
* The euro steadied on Friday, benefiting from a short-covering bounce after China assured investors it was not losing confidence in euro zone assets, while higher-yielding currencies held on to broad gains.
* Most emerging market currencies were higher compared to the dollar.
—-Agencies