The U.S. dollar edged up against the euro as the conflict in the Middle East kept investors skittish and the yen briefly strengthened prompting renewed speculation about intervention by Japanese authorities.

The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency’s strength against a basket of currencies, was 0.1% higher at 98.269. The index, which has slipped from the highs reached in the immediate aftermath of U.S. strikes on Iran in early March, continues to find support in the absence of a resolution to the Middle East conflict.

Gold prices were slightly under the flat line on Friday, in a choppy session that saw swings on either side. The yellow metal is coming off slight losses for April, and remains near one-month lows. 

At 16:57 ET (20:57 GMT), spot gold slipped 0.2% to $4,613.77/oz, while gold futures were down 0.1% to $4,626.75/oz. 

Trading volumes were muted on account of market holidays across most of Europe and Asia. 

The Canadian dollar edged lower against the U.S. dollar on Friday but maintained most of its weekly advance, as data showed Canada’s manufacturing sector grew in April at its fastest rate in nearly four years.

The loonie traded 0.1% lower at 1.3585 per U.S. dollar, or 73.61 U.S. cents, after moving between 1.3551 and 1.3593. For the week, the currency gained 0.6%, marking its fourth consecutive weekly advance.

Bitcoin gained on Friday, hovering near the $78,000 mark, helped by risk appetite that also lifted equities. The world’s largest cryptocurrency in the previous session notched its best monthly performance in a year.

Bitcoin was last up 2.2% to $77,949.0 by 17:15 ET (21:15 GMT), rebounding for a second straight day after hitting lows just below $75,000 on Wednesday. For the week, Bitcoin was set for an increase of 0.4%.