LONDON (AFX) - The euro firmed in midday trade as dollar sentiment remained negative due to weak US equities, dealers said. "There's an ongoing feeling that US markets are going to be under pressure again today," Commerzbank's Nick Parsons said. "Also, there's no US data until Wednesday night, which means the dollar is drifting lower. That's just the definition of a bear market," he said. Parsons said he expects the euro to continue to rise over the next 18 months, with little respite for the dollar. BNP Paribas currency strategist Ian Stannard said the euro will try to push higher over the next day or so, predicting that it will run out of steam towards last week's 0.9490 usd levels and will fall to around 0.9330 usd. Stannard said the dollar has a window of opportunity over the coming fortnight before the next US earnings season gets under way. "I think we may see some stabilisation in US equities before long, which means we may see the dollar recover ground," he said. In the UK, dealers noted sterling was under pressure against the dollar in early trade, but picked up when the euro recovered from its lacklustre initial performance. Elsewhere, the yen firmed against the dollar, fuelling expectations of further intervention by the Japanese authorities in the wake of Friday's weak first quarter GDP figures.