Dollar recovers as pound falls back

European stock markets were largely steady by mid-afternoon following gains for Asian indices, while Wall Street got off to a slightly softer start. Shares in UK publisher Pearson plunged up to 28 percent after it issued a profit warning and said it would sell holdings in Penguin Random House, a joint venture with German media company Bertelsmann. "The rising anxiety and uncertainty ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration this coming Friday has exposed the greenback to heavy losses," said FXTM Rese