The Rupee closed weaker on Monday as a broadly upbeat dollar pinched ?Asian currencies, with maturing contracts in the non-deliverable forward also adding to the pressure on the local ?unit. State-run banks were spotted ?offering dollars intermittently, traders said, signalling the central bank's intention to avoid a ?sharp slide in the currency. A firmer dollar and sustained merchant ?dollar demand have weighed on the rupee even as the slump in oil ?prices and regulatory measures to draw dollar inflows have offered comfort. Traders reckon that a gradual depreciation bias ?for the rupee may resurface if the currency dips and holds ?below the 96 mark. The pound ?fell on Monday, breaking a seven-day stretch of gains as the dollar recovered some strength following a ?selloff last week after soft U.S. jobs data. Sterling was last down 0.1% at $1.3338 and was steady against the euro , which traded at 0.8055 pounds. The dollar fell broadly last week after the monthly U.S. employment report showed far fewer workers were added to payrolls than expected in June, and ?also in May and April, prompting investors to wind down bets that the Federal Reserve could raise rates ?as soon as this month. The pound gained 1.1% against the dollar last week in its ?strongest weekly performance in three months. The drop in the oil price back towards $70 a barrel has taken the pressure off ?central bankers to raise borrowing costs, including the Bank of England. Markets are attaching a 70% chance of just one rate rise ?this year, compared with at least one rise and a strong chance of a second just a couple of weeks ago. Since then, UK ?government bond yields have dropped by 12 basis points to 4.79%, but have crept up from a three-month low of 4.676% struck on June 24, as ?Miliband's chances have risen. Oil prices were little changed on Monday, trading around pre-Iran war levels ?as Saudi Arabia slashed its official selling prices, OPEC+ approved another production target increase starting in August, and exports through the Strait of Hormuz recovered further. Brent crude futures , which hit a four-year high above $126 in late April, were trading at $72.19 a barrel at 11:26 a.m. ET (1626 GMT), up 7 cents, or 0.1%. U.S. West Texas ?Intermediate crude was at $68.81 a barrel, up 12 cents, or 0.2%.......