The rupee opens largely flat 96.70 from a previous close 96.76. A pullback in the dollar and US Treasury yields has slowed the Indian rupee's slide towards an all-time low, offering the domestic central bank a reprieve while underlying pressures on the currency persist. The central bank had been a regular presence in the foreign exchange market over the last several sessions. However, persistently elevated oil prices, portfolio outflows and higher US Treasury yields have continued to pressure the rupee. US Treasury yields fell on Thursday despite a rise in oil prices, with analysts attributing the pullback to safe-haven demand amid a decline in ?US equities and a well-received Treasury auction. The dollar index slipped alongside yields, while Asian currencies inched higher. Brent crude climbed 4% on Thursday, reaching an intraday high near $106 a barrel. Prices cooled off after US President Donald Trump said Washington would not attack Iran before next month's US elections, citing productive talks to halt the war. Minutes of the Fed’s September meeting showed that most policymakers considered another rate hike likely by year-end. Markets continued to price in a low probability of an October hike and a higher probability of a December move. The initial US jobless claims fell to 197k for the week ended Oct 3 (vs expectations of 200k), pointing to continued low layoffs despite weak hiring. US Treasury yields moderated marginally after a strong 30Y bond auction, with the US 10Y yield down 4 bps at 5.23%. The euro was headed for a fifth straight weekly drop on Friday, though there were signs the selling streak was losing momentum as France's tumbling debt market stabilized and a decline in US yields took some steam out of the dollar's rally. The common currency had hit a 17-month low of $1.1161 on Monday on market worries about France's record high debt load and the difficult political path to budget cuts, in contrast with a robust-looking US dollar and US economy. It has since recovered to trade at $1.1226, for a fall this week of 0.1% and a five-week drop of more than 3% on the ?dollar. The euro/sterling cross is also down 0.2% on the week to trade near a 16-month low at 84.77 pence. The euro/Swiss cross has steadied around 0.9322 francs per euro after notching last week its biggest weekly fall in 17 months. The yen headed for a fourth straight weekly drop, though moves in the last three of those weeks have been very small as it has steadied around 158 yen to the dollar. The yen remains supported by intervention risk, while the timing of further BoJ rate increases remains uncertain. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday the government will continue to scrutinize exchange-rate and price developments carefully, and respond appropriately. Gold rose more than 1% on Friday, helped by a softer US dollar, easing Treasury yields and lower oil prices, as market players weighed lingering inflation concerns and the outlook for Federal Reserve interest rates. Spot gold rose 1.1% to $4,177.44 per ounce by 0353 GMT after hitting a two-month low on Wednesday. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $4,202.00. Spot silver rose 1.4% to $60.16, platinum gained 2.6% to $1,676.67 and palladium climbed 2.8% to $1,154.70. But all three metals were on track for weekly losses. www.eforexindia.com......