India, Dec. 19 -- The Indian Rupee strengthened to under 90/Dollar for the first time in nearly a week, on likely interventions by the Reserve Bank of India in the forex market.

The rupee appreciated 24 paise to 89.96 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, supported by corporate dollar inflows and easing crude oil prices.

Forex traders said the gain in the USD/INR pair follows the rupee's string of record lows in recent weeks on likely intervention from the Reserve Bank of India. Moreover, crude oil prices hovering around USD 59 per barrel level supported market sentiment.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.19 against the US dollar, then gained some ground and touched 89.96 against the US dollar, ...