By William L. Watts
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. dollar weakened marginally Friday after a smaller-than-expected rise in July housing starts and a somewhat stronger-than-expected pickup in second-quarter productivity, but held on to minor gains versus most major rivals. The ICE dollar index DXY -0.02% , which measures the U.S. unit against a basket of six major rivals, traded at 81.230, down slightly from 81.248 just ahead of the data but up from 81.136 in North American trade late Thursday. The dollar fetched 97.36 Japanese yen USDJPY -0.0523% , down from 97.52 yen ahead of the data and little changed from its level late Thursday. The euro EURUSD +0.1356% traded at $1.3355, down from $1.3380 just ahead of the figures but up slightly from $1.3345 Thursday.
