The Rupee opened at an all time low on Thursday after hawkish signals from some Federal Reserve policymakers lifted the dollar and U.S. bond ?yields, compounding pressure from an unabated rise in oil prices. The currency is on course to log its third consecutive weekly decline, having wiped out nearly all of the gains made earlier ?in the month following rare central bank measures aimed at curbing excessive speculation. Oil prices climbed again on Wednesday and extended gains in Asia trade on Thursday, with Brent crude futures ?last quoted at ?nearly $121 per barrel, putting them on course for a weekly jump of about 14%. Surging oil prices and weakness in capital flows are contributing to a persistent bias towards rupee weakness, a trader at a foreign bank said. The dollar hovered near its highest in ?more than two weeks on Thursday after some Federal Reserve policymakers turned hawkish, sending yields to a one-month top, ?while the Japanese yen's break above 160 sharpened focus on intervention risks. Fed Chair Jerome Powell closed out his eight years with rates on hold amid rising inflation concerns. The Fed's 8–4 decision to leave the rate unchanged was its most divided since 1992, drawing three dissents from officials who no longer think the ?bank should communicate a bias towards easing. The hawkish shift sent yields sharply higher. The 2-year note yield , which typically moves ?in step with rate expectations, rose to 3.928%, while the 10-year climbed to 4.421% — both their highest ?levels since March 27. The oil price spike has also ?made the market more nervous, and the dollar is now being supported by both risk aversion and higher U.S. Treasury yields, he ?added. The dollar index was steady at 98.852 following a 0.3% gain on Wednesday, hovering near the highest level since April 13. The euro stood at $1.1689 and ?sterling traded ?at $1.34877 , both up roughly 0.1% so far in Asia. Oil prices, ?meanwhile, soared on fears of prolonged ?supply disruptions due to the Middle East war, with Brent crude futures nearing its highest point since June 2022. The Australian dollar fetched $0.71285 , and the New Zealand dollar traded at $0.58394 , both up roughly 0.2%. The yen was down 0.1% at 160.16 per dollar, edging closer to levels that have previously ?triggered intervention, despite ?the Bank of Japan signalling after its policy meeting on Tuesday that it could raise rates in coming months. Oil prices rose on Thursday on a report the U.S. is ?considering potential military action against Iran to break the deadlock in negotiations to end the war, increasing concerns of more supply disruptions to already curtailed Middle East exports. Brent crude futures for June rose $5.27, or 4.5%, to $123.30 a barrel as of 0347 GMT after gaining 6.1% in the previous session. The June contract, which ?has increased for a ninth day, expires on Thursday and the more active July contract was at $113.10, up $2.66, or 2.4%, ?after gaining 5.8% in the previous session.......