US dollar mixed against major currencies

The U.S. dollar traded mixed against major currencies on Friday. It slightly slipped versus the euro as data showed German business sentiment improved in February. The euro rose after the Ifo institute based in Munich reported German business climate climbed to 107.4 in February from 104.3 in January and the growth was at the fastest pace in more than two years. However, the euro's gain was limited by European Commission's pessimistic forecast of euro zone's economic outlook. The commission predicted the region's economy will contract for a second year in 2013 and it raised speculations that the European Central Bank would cut interest rates or expand easing measures. The dollar posted weekly gains against the euro, boosted by the Fed's minutes released on Wednesday. The minutes showed several policymakers said the central bank should vary pace of the 85-billion-dollar monthly bond purchases in response to changes in economic outlook and in consideration of the efficiency of the program. In late New York trading, the euro climbed to 1.3179 dollars from 1.3171 dollars of the previous session and the British pound dropped slightly to 1.5241 from 1.5242 dollars. The dollar slipped to 0.9306 Swiss francs from 0.9317 and went up to 1.0213 Canadian dollars from 1.0195. The dollar bought 93.41 Japanese yen, higher than 93.11 in the previous session.