The Indian rupee opens modestly stronger on Tuesday, as a decline in crude oil prices and long-dated US Treasury yields supports risk sentiment, with importer hedging demand capping gains for the currency. India's measures to strengthen its balance of payments have raised $143.6 billion, data released on Monday showed, helping the central bank keep a firm lid on expectations for rupee depreciation. The Indian central bank has been intervening frequently in the FX market to support the rupee and traders expect this to persist. Analysts at Natixis said that the RBI will need to hike rates to support the rupee and have pencilled in 50 bps of hikes ?by the end of 2026. Brent was hovering around $100 per barrel heading into potential US-Iran talks at the United Nations General Assembly this week. Oil prices remain a key monitorable for the rupee as investors gauge the impact on India's import bill along with the prospect of rate hikes by the central bank. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan raised rates last week and traders have raised wagers on policy tightening by the Reserve Bank of India as well. The yen was under pressure from a firm dollar on Tuesday as traders wagered on policymakers in Japan struggling to keep up with a hawkish turn by global central banks, leaving the country's interest rates at a wide gap with major peers. Moves were contained thanks to a holiday in Japan and because of the risk of intervention, after the Nikkei newspaper reported Japan checked dollar/yen rates on Friday. Such a move is often a precursor to stepping into the market. After drifting lower on Monday, the yen traded at 157.33 versus the dollar early on Tuesday, while broader ?financial markets were buoyed by falling oil prices. Attention is also turning to a high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this week, with investors watching for signs the leaders of the world's two largest economies can prevent a further deterioration in relations. Gold prices struggled for momentum on Tuesday as expectations of interest rates staying higher for longer weighed on sentiment, with investors awaiting comments from US Federal Reserve officials for policy clues. Spot gold was little changed at $4,344.29 per ounce, as of 0151 GMT. US gold futures steadied at $4,381.80. Bullion is traditionally viewed as a hedge against inflation and geopolitical risks, but its appeal tends to wane in a high-interest-rate environment as investors favour yield-bearing assets.Spot silver rose 0.3% to $66.19, platinum gained 0.3% to $1,792.76 and palladium climbed 0.3% to $1,305.10. Oil prices gained for the first time in five sessions on Tuesday as investors awaited developments on potential US-Iran talks at the United Nations General Assembly ?this week after more supplies emerged through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. The Brent crude futures November contract rose $1.14, or 1.1%, to $101.48 a barrel at 0317 GMT. The WTI October contract, which expires on Tuesday, climbed 87 cents, or 0.9%, to $96.65 a barrel. The more actively traded November contract was up 85 cents, or 0.9%, at $93.22 a barrel. www.eforexindia.com......