Extending its gaining streak for the third day in a row, the Indian rupee advanced by another 12 paise to close at 72.79 against the US dollar on Friday amid some easing of crude oil prices.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the Indian unit opened at 72.66 but surrendered some gains as the trade progressed and closed the session at 72.79 -- showing a rise of 12 paise to the dollar.
In the last three sessions, the Indian currency has gained 46 paise against the American currency.
Forex market was closed on Thursday on account of ‘Mahashivratri’.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.57 per cent to 91.94.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.13 per cent to USD 69.53 per barrel.
On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex slumped 487.43 points or 0.95 per cent to close at 50,792.08, while the broader NSE Nifty ended lower by 143.85 points or 0.95 per cent at 15,030.95.
Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 15.69 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
