The rupee opened the week cautiously flat at 76.4000 even as the news of expanding virus cases and economic stress weighs down on its value. The rupee is expected to open lower against the US dollar as market participants remain worried about the economic setback from shutdowns across the globe to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease, dealers said. Investors worldwide await earnings and economic data scheduled this week, which are expected to be bleak in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. During the day, the rupee is expected to move in a range of 76.4000-76.9000 per dollar. At 0900 IST, the Indian unit traded at 76.49 per dollar, compared with 76.39 a dollar on Thursday. The US dollar gained ground against major currencies as investors flocked to the safety of the greenback ahead of the release of key economic data across the globe this week. Data such as that on US monthly employment, eurozone survey indicators and global manufacturing in April is due to be released and will show the extent of economic damage caused by the pandemic worldwide. In the US, as President Donald Trump pushes to restart the economy soon, the death toll rose to more than 40,000 on Sunday, and state governors have argued with Trump over testing capacity. Last week, the Trump administration released a road map to relax social distancing norms and ease lockdowns in a phased manner, and said that testing capacity across the US was "fully sufficient" to begin opening up the economy. Separately, as the Chinese economy struggled in view of the pandemic, the People's Bank of China has cut its benchmark one-year new loan prime rate by 20 basis points, in line with market expectations. China suffered its first quarterly contraction in GDP since quarterly records began in the country.