The euro edged higher against the U.S. dollar in trading as many markets remained closed for the Easter Monday holiday, Associated Press reported. But with markets set to open later in the day in the United States, the 16-nation currency gained some slight traction in electronic trading, rising to $1.3191 compared with the $1.3165 it bought in late New York trading on Thursday. Most financial markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday. The British pound was slightly higher to $1.4699 compared with $1.4677 Thursday when the Bank of England kept its official interest rates on hold at 0.5 percent. It was the first time the central bank has held steady since it started slashing borrowing costs in October to fortify Britain against the global economic downturn. The dollar rose to 100.58 Japanese yen from 100.52 yen on Thursday.
