The 16-nation euro fell slightly Tuesday against the dollar, which had faltered the previous day over concerns about American interest rates.
In morning European trading the euro bought $1.4510, down slightly from $1.4519 late in New York on Monday.
The British pound dropped to $1.6082 from $1.6099 the night before, while the dollar dropped to purchase 91.88 Japanese yen from 92.07 yen in New York.
The euro rose Monday as high as $1.4557, its strongest level since Dec. 16, on concerns that the U.S. may leave interest rates at their current record low for an extended period.
Low rates tend to weigh on a currency because they mean smaller returns on assets denominated in that currency.
The U.S. Federal Reserve has said that continuing high unemployment and slack in the economy, alongside subdued inflation, would allow it to leave interest rates low _ a stance bolstered Monday in comments from Fed official James Bullard.
Bullard said during a speech in Shanghai that rates "may remain low for quite some time."
