The rupee rose early on Thursday on hopes stocks would extend gains for a sixth day and prompt foreigners to bring in funds, while higher Asian units also boosted sentiment.
* At 9:32 a.m. the partially convertible rupee was at 50.00/01 per dollar, off an early high of 49.955 but still stronger than its previous close of 50.19/20.
* Most Asian stock markets were in the green, at 0355 GMT, the Hang Seng was up 2.1 percent, the Kospi rose 2.9 percent, the Nikkei was 2.7 percent higher while the Shanghai Composite index had trimmed gains, but was still marginally up.
* The Nifty futures traded in Singapore were 1.4 percent higher, suggesting local stocks may be headed for a firm opening.
* Most Asian currencies were higher against the dollar.
