FRANKFURT (AP) - The euro fell slightly against the dollar Friday as equity markets traded lower and some investors' appetite for risk waned.
The 16-nation euro bought $1.4900 in European morning trade, compared with $1.4931 late Thursday in New York.
The British pound rose to $1.6275 from $1.6268, while the dollar was higher at 90.85 Japanese yen compared with 90.65 yen late Thursday in New York.
Asian stocks mostly edged lower Friday, while earnings from financial companies in the U.S. Thursday initially disappointed Wall Street.
On Thursday, investors weren't happy with earnings from Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. That weighed on equity markets, with the Standard & Poor's 500 dipping 0.4 percent in morning trading before regaining the lost ground to close up 0.4 percent.
Better economic and equity market news has tended to weaken the dollar recently, as investors return funds to more risky bets.
"The euro versus the U.S. dollar has again failed to attach the psychological $1.5000 level, instead moving back below $1.4900 as traders await news of the euro zone trade balance for August," currency analyst David Jones at IG Index said in a Friday research note.
Jones said the global economic recovery does seem to be under way and should continue to support higher yielding assets, pressuring the dollar further.
