The Indian rupee opened on a flat note and inched higher by 2 paise to 74.27 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday amid a positive trend in domestic equities.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 74.30 against the dollar, then inched higher to 74.27, registering a gain of 2 paise over its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee had settled at 74.29 against the US dollar. "Regional currencies have started marginally weaker against the Dollar early Friday morning, while crude remained strong and could keep appreciation bias limited," Reliance Securities said in a research note.