FOREX-Dollar holds gains after relief from Bernanke, oil

* Dollar up after Bernanke says Fed may extend Wall St aid

* Oil retreat helps dollar, soothes some economy concerns

* Aussie dips on poor confidence, housing data

* U.S. inventory data key for oil, dollar

By Eric Burroughs

TOKYO, July 9 (Reuters) - The dollar held steady on Wednesday after rebounding the previous day on a slide in oil prices and after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke assured investors the central bank will keep assisting financial markets as long as they remain frail.

Bernanke said the Fed was watching markets closely and may keep open the emergency lending facilities for big Wall Street firms, launched after the collapse of Bear Stearns, longer than initially planned. [ID:nN08304308]

Those remarks helped relieve market players who were rattled on Monday by a report that the top U.S. mortgage lenders, Fannie Mae (FNM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Freddie Mac (FRE.N: Quote, Profile, Research), could have to raise a combined $75 billion of capital due to upcoming accounting rule changes.

The regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac later said that the expected change in rules should not affect their capital position. [ID:nN08371498]