The dollar index inched up about 0.1 percent to 79.999

Good Morning,

- The dollar held firm above a recent eight-week low on Thursday, ahead of ECB meeting and US payrolls data.

- Asian shares: Japan's Nikkei -0.14%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng -0.14% (07:21 GMT), Korea's Kospi -0.21%, Australia's ASX 200 0.69% and China's Shanghai 0.19%.

- The dollar index inched up about 0.1 percent to 79.999, having pulled up from an eight-week trough of 79.740 plumbed on Tuesday.

- A month after the European Central Bank president unveiled a bevy of standard and non-standard fixes for the euro area’s faltering recovery, economists are in disagreement about how long interest rates will stay near zero and in the dark on the details of a plan to boost lending. Draghi may use today’s appearance after ECB meeting as opportunity to enlighten them. As the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England feel their way out of crisis-era support for their economies, the ECB is still steering against the risk of a relapse. Official interest rates will be kept on hold when policy makers meet today, according to all economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

- U.S. employment growth is expected to have continued at a solid clip in June. Nonfarm payrolls probably increased by 212,000 jobs after rising by 217,000 in May, according to a Reuters poll of economists. It would be the first time since the technology boom in the late 1990s that employment had grown above a 200,000-jobs pace for five straight months. The report is usually released on a Friday, but the government will be closed this Friday for the Independence Day holiday.

- Citi on EUR/USD: Is EUR/USD Rally Coming To An End? CitiFX Technicals thinks that the current set-up on EUR/USD suggests that recent strength may be coming to an end and a resumption of the downtrend should materialize. "EUR/USD failed to break above the 55 day moving average this week and is now back below key support around 1.3673 (converging 200 day moving average, early June high and neckline of the double top). A close below there would further suggest EURUSD is resuming its downward trend," Citi argues. "The double top remains valid and continues to target 1.3380 though support around 1.3503-1.3512 needs to be watched (these were the lows for June). Daily momentum is at stretched levels and may be starting to cross lower (still needs to be confirmed)," Citi adds. "Our bias remains for stronger US data today which should be further supportive of USD," Citi projects.

- BOE’s Haldane sees a risk that asset prices could be ‘over-egged’.

- The Australian dollar fell to $0.9360 level. The Aussie pulled further away from an eight-month peak of $0.9505 set on Tuesday, coming under pressure after Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens warned investors they were underestimating the risk of a significant rise in the Australian dollar.

- Australian Treasurer Hockey: Says Australia is on the edge of more prosperity. Now is the time to sell government assets, reallocate capital. Rises in long-term interest rates would spook investors. Some ‘extraordinary behavior’ in global capital markets. Says there are some ‘warning signs’ in global economy.

- France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with corruption and influence peddling, French prosecutors said on Wednesday, a dramatic move in a criminal probe that could wreck his hopes of a political comeback.

- HSBC China Composite PMI ™ data (which covers both manufacturing and services) signaled a second successive monthly increase of Chinese business activity in June. Moreover, the rate of expansion accelerated to the strongest in 15 months, posting at 52.4 in June, up from 50.2 in May .

- Watch today: ECB, EU retail sales, US jobless & employment report.

Have a nice Day!