The dollar is mixed as traders wait for a key announcement on interest rates from the Federal Reserve and comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Higher interest rates tend to support a currency's value, AP reported. The Fed has kept its key rate near zero since December 2008 and launched a $600 billion bond-buying program to keep rates low. The bond program expires in June. But central banks overseas have already begun raising rates to combat inflation. The dollar has declined steadily this year. The Fed begins a two-day meeting Tuesday. Bernanke's statements on Wednesday will be studied for hints on when the Fed could change its low rate policy. In morning trading Tuesday in New York, the euro is trading near a 16-month high and the dollar is weaker against the Japanese yen. The U.S. currency is climbing versus the British pound. -- SPA
