Singapore, May 05 (QNA) - The US dollar firmed on Tuesday as the Middle East tensions weighed on sentiment, while the yen held steady amid global market volatility.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar was little changed at $0.7168 ahead of a policy decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia later in ‌the day, where the central bank is widely expected to raise rates for the third straight meeting to tame inflation.

That lifted the dollar, with the euro holding onto its overnight losses. It last fetched $1.1693, while Sterling was at $1.353.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six units, was steady at 98.452 after rising 0.3% on Monday.

The yen bought 157.22 per ​US dollar, not ​far from its strongest level in two months after several bouts of sharp gains since Thursday. (QNA)