Dollar steady before US inflation data, yen under pressure

TOKYO, July 14 : The dollar steadied on Tuesday ahead of U.S. inflation data, with Middle East tensions lifting oil prices while the yen held a soft tone amid caution over possible intervention and after policymakers' comments on state pension fund allocations.The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, was flat at 101.27.Inflation risks remain in the spotlight with the release of U.S. June CPI data on Tuesday, June PPI gauges the following day, and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's first semiannual testimony before Congress.Concerns over escalating tensions between the United States and Iran returned to the fore, with President Donald Trump saying on Monday Washington was reinstating a naval blockade on Tehran and would ensure the St