The dollar was slightly lower against the Japanese yen but higher versus the euro in Asian trading early Thursday as investors awaited U.S. Federal In New York Wednesday, the dollar strengthened across the board largely on technical factors. The currency's advance put the euro on the defensive when the European common currency was finally showing signs of recovering from losses last week. The euro has been slipping amid concerns about political uncertainty in the European Union and economic weakness in the euro zone. Investors speculated that Greenspan would be more upbeat in his speech to the joint Economic Committee later Thursday. Greenspan helped push the dollar lower in a speech Monday in which he acknowledged that low long-term interest rates might be a signal of economic weakness. In Frankfurt, Germany, Rodrigo de Rato, the managing director for the International Monetary Fund, called the euro a major success for Europe and said weakening growth there was only temporary. "We see a weakening in some countries in the second quarter and we believe it's a temporary weakening," he said. The euro had risen to an all-time high of $1.3667 at the end of last year before slowly slipping back. Analysts have said a lower euro could benefit the countries that use it because the currency's recent strength has been sapping growth by reducing the competitiveness of European goods and services at home and abroad.