The U.S. dollar strengthened, helped by weakness in the yen and euro. Sterling fell to $1.3475, while the Aussie dipped to $0.6609. Oil prices steadied, with Brent crude at $65.54 a barrel and U.S. crude at $61.73 a barrel. Spot gold reached an all-time high of $3,977.19 an ounce, and Bitcoin hovered near record levels as investors sought alternative stores of value.