Rupee rises 28 paise to 96.25 against US dollar during early trade

The rupee gained 28 paise to 96.25 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, taking cues from a sharp fall in crude oil prices and positive global sentiment after the US and Iran signalled an easing of tensions in West Asia.
The American currency index also retreated from an elevated level, while domestic equities witnessed a strong buying trend, supporting the local currency further, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 96.18 but lost some ground to trade at 96.28 against the greenback, logging a gain of 28 paise from its previous closing level.
On Friday, the rupee recovered from a low level and settled 20 paise higher at 96.53 against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading down 0.26 per cent at 101.04.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 4.17 per cent lower at USD 92.74 per barrel in futures trade.
Analysts attributed the recover