FOREX-Euro edges up, investors look to EU summit

* Traders await EU economic summit on Thursday

* Investors still appear cautious about risk-taking

By Kaori Kaneko

TOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The euro inched up against the dollar on Tuesday but remained within sight of an 8-½ month low hit last week, held back by persistent worries about the fiscal health of some euro zone countries.

Investors awaited a special European Union summit on the economy on Thursday as the bloc grapples with a debt crisis in Greece and budget concerns in other member states. [ID:nLDE6031IT]

Market activity is likely to be subdued as investors are unwilling to place big bets due to concerns about sovereign credit risks in the euro zone, traders said.

"It still looks like there is strong downside power against the euro," said Akira Hoshino, chief manager in the foreign exchange trading department at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.

"But any positive news for the euro from the EU summit would give the currency a chance to rebound to some degree" he said.

The head of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, is leaving a Sydney meeting of central bankers early to attend a European Council meeting, an official at the Reserve Bank of Australia said on Tuesday. [ID:nSYU009375]

The euro edged up 0.1 percent from late U.S. trading on Monday to $1.3667 EUR=. The euro fell to $1.3585 on trading platform EBS last week, its lowest since May 2009.

The euro rose 0.3 percent against the yen to 122.17 yen EURJPY=R, after dropping to 120.70 yen on Friday, its lowest in about a year.

The dollar inched up 0.1 percent against the yen to 89.38 yen JPY=. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko)