The rupee opened steady on Wednesday, tracking an uptick in most of its Asian peers, following which it is expected to have to contend with demand for the U.S. dollar from importers and speculators. Most Asian currencies were higher against the greenback, building on the previous day's advance. In the wake of Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president, the dollar index has been choppy, while Asian currencies have recovered. The rupee, on Tuesday, managed to rally past 86.30 in opening trade, helped by Asian cues, before slipping. That may not last. On Tuesday, Trump vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs and said his administration was discussing a 10% punitive duty on Chinese imports. The offshore Chinese yuan declined to 7.2850 to the dollar. The dollar drifted slightly lower on Wednesday in indecisive trading as a lack of clarity on President Donald Trump's plans for tariffs kept financial markets guessing. The dollar index , which tracks the currency against the euro, yen and four other top rivals, was down 0.14% at 108 as of 0054 GMT. Despite those threats, a lack of specific plans from Trump's first day in office saw the dollar start the week with a 1.2% slide against a basket of major peers. It stabilized on Tuesday, ending flat after an attempted rebound fizzled, with U.S. officials saying any new taxes would be imposed in a measured way. The euro slipped 0.07% to $1.0420, while the yen edged up slightly to 155.40 per dollar . Elsewhere, expectations have been growing that the Bank of Japan will raise rates by a quarter point on Friday, supporting the yen. China's yuan was flat at 7.2735 per dollar in offshore trading, after pushing to the strongest level since Dec. 11 on Tuesday at 7.2530. The Canadian dollar eased about 0.1% to C$1.4335 per greenback, following a volatile week that saw it tumble as low as C$1.4520 overnight for the first time since March 2020, feeling additional pressure from cooling inflation last month. The Mexican peso also edged 0.1% lower to 20.6350 per dollar. Oil prices were little changed in early trading on Wednesday as markets weighed U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency on his first day in office and its impact on supply. Brent crude futures eased 3 cents, to $79.26 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) for March delivery eased 9 cents to $75.74 at 0120 GMT.......