The Indian rupee gained 9 paise and touched 74.33 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, supported by a firm trend in domestic equities and weak American currency. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 74.38 against the dollar, then inched higher to 74.33, registering a gain of 9 paise over its previous close.

On Friday, the rupee had settled at 74.42 against the US dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.10 per cent down at 92.08. Regional currencies have started marginally weaker against the dollar early Monday morning and keep appreciation bias limited, Reliance Securities said in a research note.