Rupee holds up, gains 3 paise against dollar

Mumbai: Gaining for the third day, the rupee appreciated by a modest 3 paise to 66.79 against the US dollar today on continued selling of the American currency by banks and exporters. Forex dealers said that besides sustained selling of the greenback by banks and exporters, the dollar's weakness against other currencies overseas led to the rupee upmove at the inter-bank foreign exchange. However, a markedly sluggish trend in early trade in the domestic equity market kept the gains on a tight leash. The local currency had gained 3 paise to close at 66.82 yesterday. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex plunged 201.20 points, or 0.71 per cent, to 27,890.22 in early trade.