Muscat: The dollar held steady in early Asian trading today after President Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran, boosting demand for the safe-haven currency and pushing it to a one-week high. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was flat at 98.415 - its strongest level since 13 April 2026.

According to Oman News Agency, the euro held at $1.1739, the Australian dollar traded at $0.7152, and the New Zealand dollar steadied at $0.5894. Against the yen, the dollar edged down 0.1 percent to 159.26 yen, after earlier data showed Japanese exports rose for the seventh consecutive month.

US retail sales surged 1.7 percent in March, beating forecasts of a 1.4 percent increase, as the war drove gasoline prices higher and led to record revenue at fuel stations. Among cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin rose 0.2 percent to $75,894.67, while Ether gained a similar margin to $2,321.92.