Rupee gains 33 paise to close at 94.93 against the dollar

The rupee closed 33 paise stronger at 94.93 per dollar on Friday, recovering from Thursday's 95.26. A softer dollar index, down 0.37% at 101.66, and Brent crude easing to $114.13 supported the currency. The Sensex rose 308 points to 74,459.53 and the Nifty gained 116 points to 23,053.10, while analysts expect a slight negative bias ahead.