The dollar opened the week on a firm footing. has opened the new week on a firmer footing, with EUR-USD ebbing under 1.2000 for the first time this year and USD-JPY lifting back to within a few pips of Friday’s 12-day high at 113.31 before backing off some. The dollar has also made gains versus sterling and the Australian dollar, tumbling by 0.4% against the latter to a two-session low of 0.7835. The antipodean currency was not helped by a forecast for iron ore prices to tumble 20% this year on the back of rising global supply and falling Chinese demand.