Rupee falls 11 paise to 96.36 against US dollar in early trade

The Indian rupee fell 11 paise to 96.36 against the US dollar in early trade, pressured by geopolitical risks including Houthi threats to shipping and US-Iran hostilities that pushed Brent crude up 1.18 percent to USD 92.08 per barrel. The dollar index was steady at 101.15, supported by safe-haven demand. Sentiment was also weighed down by domestic equity weakness, with the Sensex down 0.52 percent at 77,070.61 and the Nifty falling 0.34 percent to 24,104.40, though FIIs were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,650.16 crore on Tuesday.