The Rupee opened weaker on Friday, and risks slipping past its record low after Brent crude surged above $100 a barrel, amplifying ?concerns over the economic fallout for the oil-importing Asian nation. Brent crude jumped 7% on Thursday to ?top $100 a barrel for the first time in two months after developments ?pointed to worsening supply disruptions. Yemen's Houthis said they had attacked ?two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, adding to concerns over supplies ?that were already strained by a near-halt in trade through the Strait of Hormuz. The ?fortunes of both oil and the rupee have reversed in a matter of weeks. Brent was hovering near $70 a barrel about three weeks back, helping the rupee recover toward the ?94-per-dollar level and fostering optimism over the currency's near-term outlook. That optimism now looks ?misplaced with the positive sentiment sparked by the Reserve Bank of India's recent measures to attract capital inflows ?overshadowed ?by oil. India is the world's third-largest oil importer and remains highly exposed to swings in crude prices. The slide in oil prices toward $70 a barrel, coupled with the RBI's steps to attract capital inflows, helped revive debt inflows and slow the ?pace of foreign ?selling in equities. ?The renewed rally in crude threatens to reverse that trend and weigh on the rupee. The RBI has been intervening ?regularly in the foreign exchange market to cushion the currency ?against oil-driven ?pressures. Bankers say those interventions have helped moderate the pace of the rupee's decline and prevent deeper losses. The central bank is likely to remain active in Friday's session, ?with ?markets on watch for possible intervention before or ?shortly after the local market opens to prevent the rupee from sliding to fresh record lows, a ?currency trader at a private bank said. The dollar rode U.S. Treasury yields higher on Friday and hovered near a 40-year peak against the yen, as a ?spike in oil prices and a renewed global trade war raised the stakes for inflation. Sterling languished around a three-week low ?and bought $1.3313 in early Asia trade, after sliding nearly 0.5% overnight against a resurgent dollar. The euro was similarly nursing losses and wobbled at $1.1376, drawing little support from the prospect of imminent European Central Bank rate hikes, while the dollar held near a three-week top against a basket of currencies at 101.45. Adding to the inflationary pulse, the Trump administration said it will impose new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on goods from ?60 trading partners over allegations of lax enforcement of forced labour bans, just as a temporary 10% global tariff expires. The fresh turmoil in the Middle East and renewed trade tensions sent U.S. Treasury yields higher on inflation fears, with the benchmark 10-year yield rising ?to an ?over 18-month high above 4.7% overnight. The 30-year yield held well above the 5% level, while 2-year yields were near their highest since February 2025 and last stood at 4.3555%. The strength in the dollar meanwhile spelled more pain for the yen , which remained pinned ?near a 40-year low at 163.86 ?per dollar. Oil headed for weekly gains on Friday, as Houthi attacks on tankers in the Red Sea sparked worries about the closure of a second ?shipping chokepoint, while Kazakhstan temporarily cut output after its main export route ?was forced to shut. Brent futures eased 72 cents, or 0.72%, to $99.97 a barrel as of 0126 GMT, but remained on course for a 13.5% advance this week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell 70 cents, ?or 0.76%, to $91.49 a barrel, on track for a 10.9% weekly rise.......