The Rupee opened weaker on Wednesday, weighed down by a further rise in oil prices, which would ?test the central bank's ability to cushion the currency. The South Asian currency fell the most ?in nearly a month on Tuesday with the rise in oil ?prices countering the Reserve Bank of India's efforts to keep ?it anchored. The RBI has used regular and, at times, forceful intervention in ?recent weeks to push the rupee higher, helping drive the currency to a ?two-month high late last week. While the central bank was present in the market on Tuesday, traders said the intervention was not enough to prevent the rupee from weakening. The decline ?marked a departure from the recent market action and could signal the ?RBI is becoming less inclined to support the currency aggressively when the underlying pressure is ?driven ?by oil, a currency trader at a bank said. The Japanese yen steadied near its strongest level since February on Wednesday, keeping the dollar on the ?defensive as traders grappled with oil prices pushing towards $100 a barrel in the face of a widening war in the Middle East. That pushed Brent crude futures up over 1.48% to $99.37 per barrel, casting a shadow over global markets ?ahead of a U.S. inflation report on Friday that will set the stage for central bank meetings ?next week in the U.S. and Japan. The euro was steady at $1.1631, while sterling last bought $1.3546. ?The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six of its key rivals, was at 98.15, close to its lowest level in almost two weeks. The spotlight has been on the yen on the back of its 4% rise in ?September ?that has shifted the calculus for the popular carry trade in which investors borrow in yen at a low cost to invest in other currencies and assets offering higher yield. The yen was firmer at 153.65 per U.S. dollar, close to the seven-month high of 152.89 it hit on Tuesday. The rally has been broad-based, with the Japanese currency gaining against the euro and sterling, as well as popular carry-trade targets ?such as the Mexican peso and ?Turkish lira. Across the Pacific, the Australian dollar rose 0.12% to $0.7225, just shy of the four-month high ?it touched in the previous session. The New Zealand dollar was 0.16% higher at $0.5862. Oil prices rose for the fourth straight session, gaining more than $1 ?in early trade on Wednesday after renewed attacks across ?the Middle East heightened worries about supply disruptions. Brent crude futures rose 1.4%, to $99.33 a barrel by 0212 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $94.34 ?a barrel, up 1.4%.......