EUR/USD holds gains near long-term highs ahead of the US NFP release
The EUR/USD pair is practically flat on Thursday, trading right below 1.1800 at the time of writing, not far from the multi-year highs reached earlier this week. Investors' appetite for risk is fading as optimism about the US deal with Vietnam gives way to caution heading into the US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data release.
In the Eurozone, June's services activity was revised higher to 50.5 from the previously estimated 50.0 reading. These figures reveal that the sector grew again in the last month, following a slight contraction in May. The impact of the data in the Euro, however, has been minimal.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Vietnam, which boosted hopes that more such deals could be reached ahead of the July 9 deadline. The US Dollar (USD) lost ground against its main peers before picking up again, as other Asian countries complain about the complex tariff negotiations with the US.
Beyond that, Trump continued with his attacks on the Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), Jerome Powell. The US president asked Powell to "resign immediately" in the latest episode of an unprecedented hammering of a Fed chief that puts into question the independence of the central bank and erodes the US Dollar's status as a reserve currency.
The highlight this Thursday is the US Nonfarm Payrolls figures, which have been moved one day forward this month due to the Independence Day holiday in the US on Friday. Payrolls' data will attract particular interest, following an unexpected decline in the ADP Employment report on Wednesday. The risk is skewed to the downside for the US Dollar as a downbeat reading might practically confirm a Fed interest rate cut in the coming months.
Source: Fxstreet
