The Indian rupee ended flat on Friday but declined in a week in which the Reserve Bank of India delivered its first rate hike in nearly four years that did little to help the Asian currency bogged down by adverse hedging and investment flows. The rupee closed at 96.73 per dollar, barely changed from its previous close, staying within striking distance of its all-time low of 96.96 hit in May. State-run banks' dollar sales, most likely on behalf of the RBI, helped limit the fall. Frequent interventions by the central bank have limited rupee weakness amid elevated hedging by importers and persistent foreign portfolio outflows from stocks. Still, sentiment on the rupee remains bearish, expectations around the currency to languish near record lows over the next three to six months. The pound rose on Friday as the dollar dipped on the back of falling oil prices, with Britain's currency set to end the week little changed against the US currency but higher versus the euro. Currency markets have been roiled over the last two weeks by sharp rises in bond yields around the world, driven by rising energy prices. The euro has particularly suffered as French bond yields have surged, exacerbated by concerns about the country's budget deficit, while the search for safe havens has boosted the dollar. Yet a fall in oil prices helped pull global bond yields away from multi-decade highs and relieved the pressure on currencies, with the dollar dipping. Sterling was last up 0.1% at $1.324. It fell to $1.3184 on Thursday as the dollar strengthened, around its lowest since late June. The pound was little changed against the euro , with the single currency fetching 84.74 pence. Global bond markets had calmed earlier on Friday as oil prices fell after US President Donald Trump said that the US would not attack Iran before US midterm eletions on November 3 and added that there had been productive talks with Tehran over the war. Crude prices moved off their lows, however, as British navy-affiliated agency UKMTO said a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates. US crude rose 0.6% to $92.04 a barrel after falling as low as $90.01 and Brent advanced to $104.88 per barrel, up 0.58% on the day, after declining to $102.33. Against the yen , the dollar strengthened 0.25% to 158.25. The Japanese currency was on pace for its fourth straight weekly decline against the greenback, down about 0.2% on the week. Gold rose for a second straight session on Friday to a one-week high, as bargain buying emerged after bullion touched a two-month low earlier this week, while traders assessed the likelihood of further US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. Spot gold rose 1.4% to $4,190.49 by 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT), heading for a weekly gain of about 1.2%. The metal fell to a two-month ?low on Wednesday as a stronger dollar and rising US Treasury yields weighed on the non-yielding metal. US gold futures for December delivery also added 1.4%, trading at $4,215.60 per ounce. Among other metals, spot silver gained 2.6% to $60.89 per ounce. Platinum jumped 3% to $1,683.96 and palladium climbed 2.4% to $1,149.49, but both metals were headed for a weekly loss. www.eforexindia.com......