The Rupee opened weaker on Friday, weighed down by a broad risk-off mood and weakness across Asian currencies. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 90.68-90.70 range versus the U.S. dollar, having settled 0.12% higher at 90.59 on Thursday. Despite what bankers said was an unexpected pre-market intervention by the Reserve Bank of India aimed at lifting the currency, the rupee managed only a marginal uptick on Thursday. While the central bank’s dollar sales triggered an initial rally at the open, the move quickly ran into resistance. Importers used the recovery to add fresh hedges, while traders said the broader bias to buy dollars on dips remained. The lack of follow-through after the intervention-led spike only reinforces the prevailing market belief that downside in dollar/rupee is limited from current levels. U.S. equities tumbled on Thursday, led by a pullback in technology shares, setting off a negative lead for Asia. The shift in sentiment revived popular risk-off trades The dollar rose on safe-haven demand, and U.S. Treasuries rallied. The 10-year U.S. yield slid and is now trading below levels seen prior to the robust U.S. jobs data release, unwinding the post-payrolls spike. While lower U.S. Treasury yields are typically supportive of the rupee and other emerging-market currencies, declines driven by risk aversion tend to blunt that benefit. The rally in U.S. Treasuries was supported by a modest upside surprise in weekly initial jobless claims. The yen was set for its best week in almost 15 months on Friday, having climbed steadily after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's historic election win allayed investor worries about the nation's fiscal health. A resurgent yen has been the main focus for the foreign exchange market this week, particularly as its rise confounded initial expectations that a selloff in the currency could gather pace if Takaichi secured a strong mandate. It was last steady at 152.86 per dollar, but was set to gain nearly 3% for the week, which would mark its largest advance since November 2024. Against the euro, the yen was similarly poised for a 2.3% weekly jump, its strongest performance in a year. It was also up roughly 2.8% against the British pound for the week, its largest rise since July 2024. In the broader market, currencies were mostly rangebound ahead of the release of U.S. inflation data later in the day, which is likely to shape expectations for the Federal Reserve's rate outlook. The euro was little changed at $1.1869, while sterling last bought $1.3618. The Australian dollar , which has soared in recent weeks on a hawkish Reserve Bank of Australia, was down 0.05% at $0.7088, but set to rise 1% for the week. The U.S. dollar was meanwhile headed for a weekly loss, pressured by a confluence of factors including strength in other currencies, as well as some doubts about the robustness of the U.S. economy. Against a basket of currencies, the greenback was little changed at 96.93, but was set to fall close to 0.8% for the week. Oil prices were little changed on Friday after falling in the previous session, and are set for their second weekly decline, on receding concerns of an Iranian conflict that could affect supply and on forecasts supply will exceed demand this year. Brent crude oil futures were up 3 cents, or 0.04%, at $67.55 a barrel at 0205 GMT after falling 2.7% in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 1 cents, or 0.02%, to $62.85 after falling 2.8%.......