RTRS:Indian rupee rise more on local shares, corporate dlr sales
Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee held firm in afternoon trade on Friday helped by corporate dollar sales, positive domestic equities and some portfolio flows.
* At 2:28 p.m., the partially convertible rupee was at 51.30/31 per dollar, 0.3 percent higher from Thursday's close of 51.46/47 when it had risen 1.4 percent, its biggest one-session rise since May 18, 2009.
* Outlook on dollar inflows has brightened following the co-ordinated central bank action aimed at easing euro zone funding woes and bolstering growth.
* The federal government's move last week to liberalise foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail chains alongwith the central bank's decision to ease rules on overseas borrowings by firms and raise ceiling on interest rates for deposits by non-resident Indians has improved view on dollar supply.
* India's main share index recovered all early losses and was up nearly 1.8 percent.
* The euro struggled to make much headway on Friday, consolidating this week's gains as traders stuck to the sidelines ahead of a crucial U.S. jobs report and event-packed week that could prove decisive for the currency bloc.
* The non-farm payrolls report is expected to show an increase of 122,000 jobs and a steady unemployment rate of 9.0 percent. (Reporting by Aditya Phatak; Editing by Subhadip Sircar)