Overseas dealers said traders were reluctant to buy a lot of dollars before the scheduled release today of United States trade figures for December.

Overseas dealers said Saturday's planned meeting of financial officials from the Group of Seven industrial nations added to traders' qualms.

Overseas dealers said that the meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank this week in Berlin were not offering any news to stimulate trading.

Overseas dealers said traders continued to buy currencies of nations where interest rates were expected to remain high.

Overseas dealers said fluctuations in the price of gold reflected the market's nervousness over the gulf.

Overseas dealers said the Bank of England and Bank of Spain intervened discreetly to raise the British pound because sterling was falling close to its minimum required level against the mark.

Overseas dealers said they expected a communique from the group that would be sufficiently ambiguous to leave the market guessing and remove any incentive to buy the dollar heavily.

Overseas dealers said trading was lackluster as dealers waited for fresh economic news later in the week.

Overseas dealers said the dollar was hurt by fears that the German central bank would intervene to hamper its ascent.

Overseas dealers said the dollar also gained on worries about political turmoil in Yugoslavia and fears that tighter German tax policies could hurt the mark.