CURRENCY OVERVIEW
The Rupee opened weak on Monday, hit by a spike in oil prices on fading ?optimism over a quick resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict. An ?Iranian plan sent to the U.S. stressed the need for ?an end to the war on all fronts and the lifting of ?sanctions on Tehran, along with reparations and a recognition of Iran's control ?of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported. While there appears to be limited appetite on either side to escalate tensions, a durable resolution to the conflict and reopening the ?strait remains challenging, prolonging the energy disruption, MUFG Bank said in a ?note. Oil markets have been seesawing on every twist in negotiations, with Brent crude in a ?range of $86 to $126 over the past month. The country ?must save foreign exchange ?by using less ?petrol and diesel, he said. The rupee has, over the last several weeks, been broadly mirroring moves in the ?oil market, especially at the open. Crude is driving ?the currency's ?immediate outlook, considering India's heavy reliance on oil imports. The rupee has shown a relatively firmer underlying tone over the past three sessions, with bankers pointing to ?an ?unwinding of dollar long positions, particularly in the ?offshore market. However, the price action has been largely position-driven around U.S.-Iran updates, suggesting conditions remain ?fluid. The dollar advanced against its major peers in early Asia trade on Monday, supported by strong U.S. jobs data released late last week and as ?the U.S.-Iran ceasefire hung by a thread, boosting demand for the safe-haven currency. The euro was down 0.2% at $1.1767, the yen slipped 0.1% to 156.905 yen per dollar and the British pound was 0.3% lower at $1.3597. The risk-sensitive Australian dollar slipped 0.2% to $0.7234, while its kiwi counterpart weakened ?0.3% to $0.5948. The dollar index , which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.001 in early Asia. The greenback has found support from the U.S job reports released Friday that showed ?non-farm payrolls increased 115,000 ?in April, almost twice ?as fast as expected. Those figures reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged for some time. Oil prices rallied on Monday, a day after President Donald Trump said Iran's response to a U.S. proposal was "unacceptable," raising supply fears as the Strait of Hormuz stayed largely closed, which kept the global market ?tight. Brent crude futures climbed $4.16 or 4.11% to $105.45 a barrel at 0340 GMT. U.S. West ?Texas Intermediate was at $99.80 a barrel, up $4.38, or 4.59%.
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