The Rupee opened little changed on Monday, with the central bank's recent aggressive presence likely to temper ?the impact of higher crude prices and the increased likelihood of ?a U.S. Federal Reserve rate hike next week. The rupee's near 1% ?jump last week has taken some of the bearishness out of ?the market, with the Reserve Bank of India's sustained presence helping ?absorb the impact of costlier oil and a more hawkish Fed ?outlook, traders said. The RBI has shifted the tone for the rupee, a currency ?trader at a bank said. The focus now is on whether the central bank remains this active and provides the currency enough support to sustain or to extend the ?move, he said. The rupee will need the help of the RBI to begin the week ?with oil prices extending last week's rally and the U.S. jobs data on Friday making ?it ?more likely that the Fed will raise interest rates at its September 15-16 meeting. Tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S. and Iran on vessels sailing in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas heightened concerns of a prolonged supply disruption from the ?Middle East, lifting ?Brent crude to $97 ?a barrel. Meanwhile, U.S. nonfarm payrolls surged by 162,000 jobs last month, outpacing expectations of economists, who had forecast ?they would increase by 56,000. Adding to the robust ?picture, a ?previously reported drop of 23,000 for July was replaced by a 21,000 addition for that month. The dollar was on shaky ground on ?Monday, despite a ramp-up in U.S. rate hike bets as, Middle East tensions raised the prospect of broader inflationary pressures ?that could force global central banks to tighten policy in tandem. The euro was ?up marginally at $1.1618, while sterling was little changed at $1.3519. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar ?fell 0.07% to 99.09, not far from its recent low of 98.558. Traders moved to price in a roughly 57% chance ?the Federal Reserve will hike rates this month in the wake of the nonfarm payrolls release, with much now depending on ?Friday's inflation data. Likewise, markets are pricing a 75% chance the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise rates a quarter point at its meeting on September 18, with a 60% probability of another move by December. The Japanese currency had surged more than 2% last week, following a confluence of factors including the unwinding of carry trades and expectations of ?capital repatriation that would boost the yen. In other currencies, the Australian dollar advanced 0.12% to $0.7208, while the New Zealand dollar was flat at $0.5880. Oil prices extended gains ?on Monday as tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S. and Iran on vessels sailing in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas heightened concerns of a prolonged supply disruption from the Middle East. Brent crude futures climbed 52 cents, or 0.54%, to $96.80 a ?barrel by 2354 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $92.14 a barrel, up ?66 cents, or 0.72%.......