Singapore, April 16 (QNA) - The US dollar held near its lowest level since early March against major currencies on Thursday, as the White House’s optimism over a peace deal with Iran encouraged traders to shed safe-haven positions.

The euro stood at $1.1808 and the sterling traded at $1.3569, both up about 0.1% for the day to hover near their highest level since February.

The dollar index, which measures the currency’s strength against six major peers, was steady at 98.027. It declined for eight straight sessions through Wednesday to give up most of the gains sparked by Middle East tensions.

The Australian dollar fetched $0.7173 and the New Zealand dollar traded at $0.59139, both near one-month highs.

The Japanese yen was slightly firmer at 158.78.

The offshore yuan traded at 6.8146 yuan per dollar, up about 0.04% in early Asian trade. (QNA)