The Indian rupee strengthened by 9 paise to 72.36 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, tracking the broad weakness of the greenback and positive domestic equities. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 72.38 against the dollar, then inched higher to 72.36, registering a gain of 9 paise over its previous close.

On Friday, the rupee had settled at 72.45 against the US dollar. The Indian Rupee started on a flat to stronger note this Monday against the dollar, tracking the overall weakness of the dollar. FPI flows, absence of the RBI could lend support to the currency, Reliance Securities said in a research note.