LONDON (AFP) - The euro firmed against the dollar on Tuesday as the foreign exchange market awaited fresh economic data ahead of a likely eurozone interest rate hike later this week. The European single currency edged up to 1.5746 dollars in morning London trading from 1.5745 dollars in New York late on Monday. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 105.71 yen from 106.13. Dealers said worries about the health of the US economy were weighing on the greenback ahead of an Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing survey due later Tuesday, followed by key employment data due on Thursday. The European Central Bank (ECB), meanwhile, was widely expected to lift its key lending rate by a quarter-point to 4.25 percent on Thursday. "Ahead of decisive US tier one US data " June ISM index today and non-farm payrolls on Thursday " and against the backdrop of an ECB that may signal one rate hike could be enough for now, we suspect the foreign exchange market will not push for a range break just yet," said Commerzbank analyst Gavin Friend. He added that the euro could climb towards 1.60 dollars later this week after a likely ECB rate hike and amid runaway crude oil prices. Expectations of a eurozone rate increase were reinforced this week by news that eurozone inflation hit a record 4.0 percent in June on the back of soaring oil prices. Global inflation worries are being stoked by the sky-high cost of crude, which jumped to record heights near 144 dollars per barrel on Monday. Elsewhere on Tuesday, sterling rose against the dollar after British home loans provider Nationwide said the average price of a property in Britain fell by 0.9 percent in June from the previous month. That marked a slowdown after the 2.5-percent dive that was recorded in May by Nationwide. "Although Nationwide reported that the pace of house price falls slowed ... this is hardly the most reassuring of news and does little to dilute concerns that we are headed for a sharp correction in house prices," said Global Insight economist Howard Archer.