MARKETS-FOREX (UPDATE 7) * Euro takes out option barriers at $1.35 * Moody's cuts Anglo Irish Bank rating * CFTC data shows shift to euro longs * Dollar index hits seven-month low (Recasts, adds quotes, updates prices) By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The euro fell from a five-month high against the dollar on Monday as nagging worries about fiscal debt problems in euro zone countries such as Ireland gave traders an excuse to consolidate gains. Monday's downgrade of Anglo Irish Bank's lower-grade debt pushed the euro to session lows, highlighting concerns about the euro zone. That led to the widening of the Irish/German 10-year bond yield spread as investors demanded additional premium to hold Irish government bonds over benchmark Bunds. The increase in the yield spread also helped push the euro lower after hitting the five-month high above $1.35 earlier. For the Irish/German yield spread story, see [ID:nLDE68Q1ID]. For the Moody's news, click on [ID:nLDE68Q15A]. "The euro right now is being pulled in a tug of war between the sovereign debt crisis still existing in the euro zone versus the prospect of a very serious QE2 (another round of quantitative easing) out of the U.S.," said Boris Schlossberg, director of FX research at GFT in New York. The Federal Reserve last week signaled it could loosen monetary policy further to support a sluggish economy, fueling a massive dollar sell-off. "Depending on what the market decides to focus on any given day, those two forces will determine the direction of the pair for the time being," Schlossberg said. "We had a big run after the Fed statement last week, so the market is in a very digestive mode right now. We're pretty much in seesaw action." While statements by European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet on Monday had little market impact, they added to a view that the euro zone economy is on the mend. [ID:nLDE68Q1A4]. EURO STILL A 'BUY' ON DIPS The euro rose as high as $1.3507, according to electronic trading platform EBS, its highest since April. It was last at $1.3462, down 0.2 percent on the day. The euro's next short-term key level was around $1.3511, a 50 percent Fibonacci retracement of its fall from $1.5145 last November to its June low around $1.1876. "The euro was never going to race through $1.35 anyway. We have that big Fibo level around $1.3510-11 that has put a cap on the euro. But it is still a 'buy' on dips," said Richard Franulovich, senior currency strategist at Westpac in New York. Over the next few weeks, the next stop is likely the 55-week moving average which comes in at $1.3630, according to CitiFX in a research note. The bank said there is solid resistance above that level, specifically at $1.3670-$1.3740 where the highs from December 2004, April 2007, and March 2009 converge. Investors were cautious about pushing the euro too high before banks repay 225 billion euros in European Central Bank loans. The tenders are due to expire this week, with banks preparing to repay 12-, six- and three-month funds on Thursday. If the results highlight more banking sector troubles, traders may turn cautious on the euro, though other analysts say a withdrawal of funds from the system will boost lending rates and provide support for the single currency.

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