The EURUSD pair is trading steadily around 1.1440 during Asian hours on Friday, as markets await the key U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report for May, due at 12:30 GMT. Expectations point to 130K job additions, down from April’s 171K, with unemployment likely unchanged at 4.2%. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) has edged up to near 98.80, buoyed by late-Thursday gains following U.S. President Donald Trump’s optimistic remarks on U.S.-China trade relations. Trump hinted at a positive outcome after a lengthy call with Chinese officials, easing trade tensions and supporting the dollar. Meanwhile, the euro remains subdued after ECB officials signaled a pause in further rate cuts, indicating the monetary easing cycle may be nearing its end.

The FTSE 100 to open down 9.4 points, 0.1%, on Friday. The index of London large-caps closed up 0.1% at 8,811.04 on Thursday. DAX futures are down 0.27%. CAC40 futures edged slightly lower at 0.04%. FTSE MIB is expected to open lower as well.