The Rupee closed weaker on Thursday, pressured by broad-based strength in the dollar on a hawkish reassessment of policy easing by the Federal Reserve, while modest portfolio inflows helped limit the currency's decline. The dollar index held above the 100-handle, while Asian currencies were down between 0.1% and 0.3% as traders scaled back wagers on a U.S. rate cut next month. Minutes from the Fed's October policy meeting showed that many policymakers were opposed to a December rate cut, prompting a pullback in money market odds of a reduction to under 30% from 50% a week earlier. Dollar sales from foreign banks picked up in the latter half of the trading session, signalling likely inflows, a trader at a state-run bank said. The indexes are within touching distance of their record highs hit in September last year, with HSBC expecting the Sensex to rise to 94,000 by the end of 2026, an upside of about 10% from current levels. Analysts reckon that a breakthrough in U.S.-India trade negotiations could spur inflows into local stocks and a rally in the rupee. Wall Street banks have recently been pitching option strategies on the rupee to position for the same. The pound nudged up from a two-week low on the dollar on Thursday as investors continued to process the previous day's inflation data and position for Britain's much-discussed upcoming budget. Sterling was last up 0.17% on the dollar at $1.3076 , on track for its strongest day in almost a week. It was also set for its biggest daily gain on the euro this month, with the euro down 0.3% at 88.11 pence, though both milestones were more a function of the pound's recovery from recent weakness than any particular excitement on Thursday. Data on Wednesday showed British consumer price inflation fell to 3.6% in October from September's 18-month high of 3.8%, as expected by the BoE and economists polled by Reuters. That reassurance caused markets to become more confident that the Bank of England will cut rates next month and weighed on the pound which hit its weakest in well over two years on the euro on Wednesday. Markets are now pricing in a roughly 80% chance of a 25-basis-point rate cut. However, Britain's annual autumn budget, which will be published on November 26, is one of the most significant events of the year for investors. The dollar was riding high on Thursday after Federal Reserve minutes made a December U.S. rate cut seem less likely ahead of long-delayed U.S. jobs data for September. The greenback's strong gains against the yen prompted traders to ask whether Japanese authorities might step in to stop their currency sliding further. The dollar rose as high as 157.78 yen, its strongest since January, putting the Japanese currency on track for a fourth daily decline. The yen's latest leg lower began after Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said there had been no specific discussion about foreign exchange at a meeting with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda. The yen was on the back foot heading into the start of U.S. trading, leaving the dollar up 0.3% at 157.64 yen. Oil prices edged up on Thursday after falling in the previous session, boosted by a bigger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude stockpiles and a general risk-asset market rally. Brent crude futures were up 57 cents, or 0.9%, at $64.08 a barrel at 1101 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were 51 cents, or 0.9%, higher at $59.95.......