Rupee opens four paise stronger at 44.55/57/USD

Mumbai, Apr 4: The rupee today opened stronger at 44.55/57 per US dollar as compared to the last close of 44.59/61, said a foreign exchange (forex) dealer here.

Later in the mid-morning session, the Indian unit traded weaker at at 44.60/62 per dollar, the dealer added.

A massive bull run in the domestic equity market was supporting the rupee's rise, with the BSE Sensex having crossed 11,700 mark this morning, touching a high of 11,710.69 points, before cooling off.

However, rupee could take a hit from the crude oil price which continued to rise and touched USD 67 per barrel before falling to 66.46 per barrel in the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).

UNI