The dollar stood still on Monday, consolidating its recent run to 8-month highs against the euro and sterling amid a lack of major economic data to provide a catalyst.

Traders continued to express deep reservations about the outlook for the euro, which has been beset by debt problems facing Greece, Portugal and Spain.

The G7 meeting in Canada produced nothing new on the Greek debt crisis, and European officials continued to insist a bailout is not in the cards. Speculation that the Greek population will reject cost-cutting measures generated further anxiety that the problem will not be solved anytime soon, and may spread to Italy and Spain.

The dollar held steady around 1.3675 versus the euro, staying within hailing distance of Friday's 8-month high of 1.3594.

The index for Eurozone investor sentiment for February plunged to minus 8.2 from January's minus 3.7, the Sentix research group said.

The buck also kept most of its recent surge versus the sterling, hovering near 1.5600. Overnight, the buck hit a fresh 8-month high of 1.5533.

Against the equally fashionable yen, the dollar remained below 89.50 in a very tight range. The dollar and yen have been bolstered by their low-yielding, safe haven status.

Versus the swiss franc, the buck was at 1.0720.

One of the day's few important data points came from Canada, but the dollar barely budged against the loonie. The pair stood near C$1.07, down a bit from the its dollar's recent high near C$1.08.

Canadian housing starts rose roughly in line with estimates in January, industry data showed Monday, suggesting further stabilization of the nation's housing market.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts reached 186,300 units in January 2010. This is an increase from an annual rate of 176,100 units in December 2009, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Source: Forex: Dollar P...