Update on stocks: Monday’s early trading saw a rise in equity benchmark indexes due to encouraging signals from across the world. The 30-share BSE Sensex increased 217.89 points to 84,762.20 in the early trading. The Nifty was up 112.25 points at 25,903.20 in the meanwhile.

Among the gainers at the opening bell were Divi’s Lab, Bharti Airtel, Shriram Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Bajaj Auto. ICICI Bank, JSW Steel, Hindalco, HCL Tech, and Lindtree were the largest laggards in this regard.

Rupee against US dollar
In the meantime, the rupee began its third week of advances and gained 6 paise to 83.46 versus the US dollar in early trading on Monday, after strong domestic equities market performance and a significant influx of foreign capital.

However, an upward trend in the crude oil prices and a rising greenback versus key international competitors limited a dramatic advance in the Indian rupee, forex dealers said. The Indian rupee began at 83.44 on the interbank foreign exchange market, dropped to 83.49, and then traded again at 84.46 versus the US dollar, finishing 6 paise higher than it had before.