The euro rose slightly against the U.S. dollar ahead of a meeting Thursday of the European Central Bank on whether to adjust its key interest rate. In early European trading, the 12-nation currency bought $1.2057, up down from $1.2056 in New York trading the night before. The ECB is expected to leave its interest rate unchanged at 2.25 percent when it meets later in the day. Most analysts are convinced the bank will put off an increase until March. On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank raised interest rates to 4.5 percent in a widely expected move. Higher interest rates usually bolster a currency by attracting international investors. The British pound was up marginally to $1.7738 Wednesday from $1.7732 the night before. The U.S. dollar was trading at 118.39 Japanese yen, up from 118.06 yen from late Wednesday in New York, reaching six-week highs in part on speculation that Friday's U.S. payrolls data for January will come out stronger than expected.