The Rupee opened at a record low past the 94-per-dollar ?mark on Friday, hammered by ?worries that the energy supply crisis sparked by the Middle East war will drag on, deepening the pressure on ?energy importing economies. The rupee fell ?to 94.1575 per dollar, eclipsing its ?previous all-time low of 93.98 ?hit earlier this week. It has declined about 3.5% ?since the war began late last month. The threat of a protracted energy shock ?has kept oil prices above the $100-per-barrel ?mark, weighing on global equities and sending bond yields ?higher. Analysts ?have shaved growth forecasts for India, with some also anticipating rate hikes by the Reserve Bank ?of India ?over ?the next 12 months as the spillovers from ?the crisis threaten to ?lift ?inflation. Even if a lengthy conflict is avoided, Bernstein sees a realistic ?chance ?of the rupee breaching the 98-per-dollar level this ?year, with pressure primarily stemming from India's ?current account balance. The dollar pushed higher toward multi-month peaks on Friday ?as investors sought safety in the shadow of an intensifying Middle East war and mounting doubts ?over any path to de-escalation. The Pentagon is also looking ?at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported on ?Thursday, doing little to bolster investor hopes of an imminent end to the war. That ?kept the dollar bid as investors flocked to the safe-haven currency and ramped up expectations of a U.S. ?rate hike by the year-end, owing to the inflationary pulse from higher-for-longer energy prices. The yen , on the other hand, ?was left on the cusp of 160 per dollar and stood at 159.61, while the euro was off a touch 0.03% at $1.1525. Sterling eased 0.05% to $1.3325. The darkening market mood sent the risk-sensitive Australian dollar down to a two-month trough of $0.68722, while the New Zealand dollar similarly languished near its lowest level since January and traded down 0.15% at $0.5754. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was marginally higher at 99.93, though was on track for a 2.3% ?rise this month, which would ?mark its biggest gain ?since July last year. Oil prices fell in early trade on Friday and were down over a volatile week after U.S. President Donald Trump said talks with Iran to end the war were going "very well" ?and announced he would pause attacks on the country's energy plants for 10 days. Brent ?futures fell 90 cents, or 0.8%, to $107.11 per barrel as of 0024 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures lost 83 cents, or 0.88%, to $93.65 per barrel, trimming gains from a bullish previous session.......