The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 16, 2005; 4:20 PM

BERLIN -- The U.S. dollar gained Wednesday against the euro, which slid back beneath $1.17 as data showed record net buying of U.S. securities in September.

The 12-nation euro bought $1.1686 in late New York trading, down from $1.1720 late Tuesday. The British pound bought $1.7163, down from $1.7351.

The dollar also gained on the Japanese currency, climbing to 119.05 yen from 118.84 yen.

The dollar rose to 1.3232 Swiss francs from 1.3162, but fell to 1.1925 Canadian dollars from 1.1932.

The U.S. currency was helped by Treasury Department data showing that net purchases of U.S. securities totaled a record $101.9 billion in September _ above market expectations of some $75 billion.

The dollar was battered by the euro in 2004 on concerns about the massive U.S. trade and budget deficits.

But it has bounced back this year as the U.S. Federal Reserve continued to raise interest rates, while the European Central Bank has held them steady. Higher interest rates make a nation's currency more attractive by increasing the return on investments.

The euro rose to an all-time high of $1.3667 in December. Although it has slipped back, it remains far above the low of 82 cents hit in October 2000.