Tokyo: The dollar steadied at the start of Asian trading today after US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of a planned strike on Iran to allow room for negotiations, while bond markets calmed following a two-day sell-off. The dollar index, which measures the US currency against a basket of six major rivals, held at 99.026, attracting buying demand after easing fears of war escalation pushed the index down 0.3 percent yesterday, ending a five-day winning streak.
According to Oman News Agency, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield fell three basis points to 4.591 percent, retreating from a one-year high as concerns over persistently rising inflation eased. Brent crude futures fell 2.4 percent to $109.43 per barrel, contributing to the calmer financial atmosphere.
Further data showed the dollar steadied at 158.895 yen after government data revealed the Japanese economy grew 2.1 percent on an annualised basis in the first quarter, surpassing market expectations of 1.7 percent. Meanwhile, Bank of Japan data indicates Tokyo may have spent nearly 10 trillion yen ($63 billion) since launching its latest yen-buying intervention on 30 April 2026.
In the currency market, the euro held at $1.1650, while sterling edged down 0.1 percent to $1.3427. The Australian dollar fell 0.1 percent to $0.7164, and its New Zealand counterpart slipped 0.1 percent to $0.5868. The dollar steadied against the offshore Chinese yuan at 6.798 yuan.
In digital currencies, Bitcoin rose 0.2 percent to $77,005.69, while Ether gained 0.8 percent to $2,131.91, reflecting a slight positive shift in the cryptocurrency markets.