• EUR/USD rebounds into high side of near-term range.
• US NFP labor figures to be pivotal data point this week.
• Investors looking for easing labor and slowing wages to bolster rate cut chances.

EUR/USD drove back to the top end of recent consolidation on Thursday, recovering chart territory north of the 1.0700 handle as market risk appetite regains balance heading into another US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) Friday.

European economic data is sparse on Friday, leaving investors to focus on US labor figures due early in the American market session. US NFP labor data is expected to show 243K net job additions in the month of April, down slightly from the previous 12-month peak of 303K. With market bets of when and how often the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will finally cut interest rates, investors are hoping for an easing in the pace of hiring to signal a downturn in the US economy which continues to chug along at a breakneck pace compared to most of the developed world.

US Average Hourly Earnings in April are also forecast to hold steady at 0.3% MoM, with wage growth a key fear point for inflationary pressures. At current cut, the rate markets are expecting a first quarter-point trim from the Fed in September, with 62% odds of at least a 25 basis point reduction according to the CME’s FedWatch Tool