The dollar fell against other major currencies Wednesday amid weak year-end trading. The euro rose to $1.3187 in midday trading in New York from $1.3117 late Tuesday. The British pound rose to $1.5456 from $1.5374, while the dollar dropped to 81.90 Japanese yen from 82.35 yen, according to AP. There were no new economic reports released Wednesday in the U.S., but weaker-than-expected reports Tuesday on U.S. consumer confidence and the country's housing market weighed on the dollar. Still, many expect the dollar to post gains in the new year with the European debt crisis already having driven the euro down about 8 percent since early November. Estonia will become the 17th nation to adopt the euro Saturday. In other trading Wednesday, the U.S. dollar was nearly unchanged at 1 Canadian dollar, from 99.99 Canadian cents. The U.S. currency fell to 0.9495 Swiss franc from 0.9523 Swiss franc, just shy of the record low hit on Tuesday.
