As consumer confidence slipped in France, one of Europe's largest economies, euro fell against dollar Thursday.

OPEC members don't even want to publicly talk about the collapsing dollar for fear it might accelerate the precipitous decline. Of course the accidental airing of OPEC concern from a meeting in Saudi Arabia that people will find out they are concerned about falling dollar will have far worse ramifications.

The dollar rose slightly against the yen in Asia Thursday as traders remained cautious on prospects for the U.S. economy.

The euro currency used by 13 European Union countries touched record highs against the dollar for the past eight trading days. And that worries the Europeans whose exports are getting more and more expensive.

Financial markets have steadied since the September 18 cut in short-term US interest rates. But the dollar continues to fall while the prices of raw materials rise.

The dollar climbed to a 2 1/2-month high against the yen in Asia Thursday following the release of Japan's gross domestic product figures, which showed that companies cut back on capital investment last quarter.