The dollar strengthened against major currencies on Monday, buoyed by safe-haven purchases from investors worried that the fighting between Israel and Iran could escalate into a wider regional conflict as they prepared for a busy week of central bank meetings.

On Monday, the dollar rose by 0.14% to 144.3 Japanese yen, while the euro fell by 0.14% to 1.1534 dollars. In the early hours of the session in Asia, the greenback was stable against the Swiss franc at 0.81, while the index measuring the dollar against six other currencies was stable at 98.25

The Chinese yuan stabilized against the dollar on Monday, as a firmer-than-expected official outlook partially offset uncertainty about the overall economic outlook and currency vulnerability. At 03:45 GMT, the onshore yuan was up 0.01% at 7.1849 per dollar, while its offshore counterpart was up around 0.04% at 7.1860

Australian and New Zealand dollars remained vulnerable to the downside on Monday, as the conflict between Israel and Iran showed no signs of abating and oil prices rose again, although global equity selling stabilized somewhat. The Aussie fell 0.3 percent to $0.6470, after falling 0.7 percent on Friday to $0.6457

The Kenyan shilling held steady against the dollar on Monday, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group. At 07:40 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 129.00/129.50,