Dollar bulls took a breather on Friday ahead of a closely watched jobs report that has the potential to make or break a rally that saw the greenback post its best monthly performance in over a year.
The dollar index was steady at 81.479, having risen 2.1 percent in July to a 10-1/2 month peak of 81.573. Against the yen, the dollar edged up 0.1 percent to 102.89 yen but stayed below a four-month high of 103.15 yen struck on Wednesday.
The question now is whether this is the beginning of a lasting uptrend, one that has frustrated dollar bulls for much of this year, or another false start. The U.S. jobs report due at 1230 GMT could provide a clue. A Reuters survey of economists showed payrolls probably increased by 233,000 in July.
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