Rupee rises 14 paise to 96.28 against per US dollar

The rupee rose 14 paise to 96.28 against the US dollar in early trade, recovering from its previous close of 96.42, though heavy FII outflows of Rs 4,205.56 crore and elevated crude oil prices around USD 84.83 per barrel capped further gains. Geopolitical tensions in West Asia, including US airstrikes on Iran and Iranian missile attacks, sustained demand for safe-haven assets and kept the dollar index firm at 100.78. On the domestic markets, Sensex gained 480.95 points to 77,656.56 while Nifty rose 125.05 points to 24,201 in early trade.