The Rupee opened to another run at 91 per dollar on Friday, pressured by risk-off flows and modest dollar strength, putting the central bank's defence of that level under scrutiny. The currency has faced sustained pressure this week from dollar demand tied to NDF maturities and routine corporate flows, while a cautious near-term outlook has prompted importers to add hedges. Weakness in domestic equities has compounded the strain on the rupee. According to bankers, absent central bank intervention, the rupee may have already broken decisively beyond 91. Its inability to capitalise on rallies in other Asian currencies underscores the persistent underlying weakness. Asian currencies were mostly weaker on Friday amid fragile risk appetite, after U.S. equities fell overnight and futures signalled further losses. Asian shares largely tracked Wall Street lower. Investor sentiment was dented by concerns about overstretched technology valuations, while persistent tensions in the Middle East kept oil markets jittery, adding to the cautious tone.The Australian dollar was poised for another sharp monthly gain on Friday as expectations grow for a more hawkish central bank, while the yen was headed for a loss as the Bank of Japan contends with an emboldened reflationist prime minister. The Australian dollar , which was steady at $0.7106 on Friday, was on track for a monthly gain of roughly 2%. Also on the hiking path is the Bank of Japan, though that has done little to help the yen as domestic politics complicates the rate outlook, despite BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda signalling openness to a near-term hike. While the yen was up 0.2% at 155.78 in Asia, it has fallen 0.4% for the week and 0.6% for the month thus far. This week, Japan's government nominated two academics seen by markets as strong advocates of economic stimulus to join the BOJ's board. Sterling was steady at $1.3484, set to snap three straight months of gains with a 1.5% fall in February. The British pound has been undermined by a dovish tilt from the Bank of England, with traders now pricing in an 83% chance of a rate cut in March. The dollar was set to gain 0.6% for the month, helped by a slightly more hawkish Federal Reserve after "several" policymakers signalled at January's policy meeting their openness to rate hikes if inflation remains elevated. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down Trump's tariffs also reinforced checks and balances on presidential power, which provided some support for the dollar, analysts said. Moves in the euro were more muted, with the common currency little changed at $1.1796 on Friday and headed for a monthly loss of just over 0.4%. Expectations are for the European Central Bank to keep rates steady for months to come. The decision comes after the yuan climbed 4.4% against the dollar in 2025, its biggest annual gain since 2020, with the upward momentum continuing this year. Onshore yuan was last down 0.24% at 6.8572 per dollar, while its offshore counterpart slipped 0.1% to 6.8542 per dollar. Oil prices inched down on Friday and were on track for a weekly decline after the United States and Iran extended nuclear talks, easing concerns about potential hostilities that could disrupt supply, while OPEC+ may resume output hike at its Sunday meeting. Brent crude futures lost 5 cents to $70.70 a barrel by 0331 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1 cent to $65.20.......