* U.S. data beats expectations but enthusiasm limited

* Euro struggles after weak German ZEW sentiment

* Goldman earnings beat expectations, more banks on tap (Updates prices, adds detail)

By Steven C. Johnson

NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters) - The yen slipped on Tuesday in choppy trade while the dollar struggled against most currencies as earnings of Goldman Sachs and U.S. retail sales surpassed expectations, stoking modest hopes for an economic recovery.

But traders were cautious ahead of quarterly results from other U.S. banks, while lackluster data from Germany weighed on the euro and kept it rooted in a broad range against the dollar.

The slight rise in risk appetite also boosted higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian dollar at the expense of both the yen and U.S. dollar, which tend to see their biggest gains when investors grow anxious and buy them as safe havens.

"Retail sales were better than expected, so that's a bit of good news, but there's been little follow-through as the market is uncertain which way it wants to trade," said Greg Salvaggio, vice president of trading at Tempus Consulting in Washington.

The retail sales data came with some caveats, though, as traders noted much of the 0.6 percent gain in June retail sales was driven by higher gas prices. For more see [ID:nN14252432].