The Rupee opened pinned near its all-time low on Friday, with the Reserve Bank of India's defence of the 88.80-level likely to come under renewed pressure following the dollar index's climb to a two-month high. The dollar index's climb to a two-month peak has brought the rupee's lifetime low mark of 88.80 back into focus, a level that the Reserve Bank of India has been defending all through this week. The flow picture for the rupee remains unsupportive. Bankers note importer demand for dollars has stayed heavy, driven by oil and jewellery sector, while exporter flows have been patchy at best. Portfolio flows, too, have offered little relief. The dollar index rose 0.6% on Thursday to a two-month high, fuelled by political volatility in Europe and Japan, which has weighed on the euro and the Japanese yen. Thursday's advance extended its weekly rally to 1.7%, putting the index on course for its best week in a year.mWeak risk sentiment and the uptick in U.S. yields provided a further boost to the dollar in Thursday's session.Asian currencies were mixed on the day in face of the dollar's rally. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday that the government was concerned about excessive volatility in the foreign exchange market as the yen came under pressure due to fiscal concerns. The Japanese yen is on pace for a near 4% drop over the week, its biggest decline since early October last year, as investors fret about Takaichi's more fiscally expansive policy stance and fast-receding chances of a near-term rate hike. Sterling clawed back some losses on Thursday after Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann suggested rates could stay higher for longer, though the pound remained largely at the mercy of dollar crosses. Sterling was down 0.20% at $1.3374, after hitting $1.3344, its lowest since September 26. It also lost ground against the euro and the yen as investors took a breather after a four-day rising streak. Sterling eased 0.05% to 86.82 pence per euro . The pound hit 86.57 pence on Wednesday, the strongest since September 16. It also fell 0.35% to 204.20 versus the yen on Thursday, having touched a 15-month high of 205.08 the day before. Oil prices were little changed in early Asian trade on Friday after falling more than 1% in the previous session, as the market's war risk premium faded after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a plan to end the war in Gaza. Brent crude futures were up 9 cents, or 0.1%, at $65.31 a barrel by 0044 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 12 cents, or 0.2%, to $61.63.......