The Rupee opened to modest relief at open on Thursday on the back of a pullback in the dollar and ?tentative signs of recovery in risk sentiment, though concerns over ?the impact of the Middle East war on oil prices remain a headwind. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 92.10 to 92.12 range versus ?the U.S. dollar, having settled 0.74% weaker at 92.15 on Wednesday. ?The currency hit an all-time low of 92.3025 during the session, ?pressured by the rally in oil. Bankers said the rupee will remain ?sensitive to crude oil moves, while market participants will be alert to potential ?intervention by the Reserve Bank of India after the currency dropped 1.3% over the last two days. Amid ?the focus on the war's impact on oil prices, risk sentiment showed tentative signs of recovery, though traders cautioned that it may not be durable. U.S. equities ?recovered ?on Wednesday, with Asian markets following through, ?led by South Korea and Japan. The dollar index slipped below the 99 mark, weighed down ?by the improvement in risk appetite. The dollar halted its blistering rally on Thursday, providing some reprieve ?to the battered euro, as investors clung on to fragile assumptions that the war in the Middle East might not last as ?long as initially expected. The dollar further ?eased from an over three-month high hit earlier this week and stood at 98.82 against a basket of currencies . The ?euro was steady at $1.1628, having slid to a more than three-month low on Tuesday, while sterling was little changed at $1.3368. Still, the ?dollar held to its gain of over 1% for the week thus far, emerging as one of a handful of winners in a volatile ?few sessions that have dragged stocks, bonds and, at times, even safe-haven precious metals lower. The yen similarly found some ?support on Thursday from a weaker greenback and rose 0.2% to 156.79 per dollar. The Australian dollar held on to its 0.57% gain from the previous session and last stood at $0.7068, while the New Zealand dollar eased slightly to $0.5939. The ?Aussie has swung in a wide range this week, having been used as a proxy for risk ?sentiment while at ?times also benefitting from a rare safe-haven bid as the country's energy abundance offset the impact of rising oil prices. The ?yuan was recently up more than 0.1% in onshore trade at 6.8862 per dollar, with ?the country also lifting its official yuan midpoint to the strongest level in 34 months on Thursday in what traders interpreted as an attempt to stabilise the currency. Oil prices rose on Thursday amid growing concern over the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as the U.S.- Iran war ?chokes off vital Middle East oil and gas flows while production facilities limit ?output. Brent crude was trading up $1.67, or 2.05%, at $83.07 per barrel by 0141 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.94, or 2.60%, to $76.60.......
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