Forex - Euro flits between small gains/losses with Greece in focus

Investing.com - The euro traded between small gains and losses in Asia on Thursday as investors awaited a weekend referendum on the debt bailout package.

Speculation that Greece would cancel a snap referendum due to be held on July 5 on whether to accept the terms proposed by lenders for extending the country’s bailout was denied by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

EUR/USD changed hands at 1.1052, flat, while USD/JPY traded at 123.41, up 0.19% after a survey on company inflation views.

In Japan, the June Tankan's corporate inflation outlook saw an average 1.4% consumer prices gain in 1 year, the same as March when companies on average revised down their longer-term inflation outlook slightly as energy and commodities markets remained weak.

AUD/USD traded at 0.7633, down 0.14% after trade data.

In Australia, trade for May showed a deficit of A$2.75 billion, wider than the A$2.2 billion expected.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was flat at 96.47.

Overnight, the dollar remained broadly higher against a basket of other major currencies on Wednesday, after the release of upbeat U.S. jobs and manufacturing data and as investors remained cautious amid ongoing Greek debt concerns.

The Institute for Supply Management said on Wednesday its index of purchasing managers rose to 53.5 last month from 52.8 in May. Analysts had expected a more modest uptick to 53.1.

Separately, payroll processing firm ADP reported on Wednesday that U.S. non-farm private employment rose by 237,000 last month, above expectations for an increase of 218,000.

The economy created 203,000 jobs in May, whose figure was upwardly revised from a previously reported increase of 201,000.

Tsipras sent new proposals as part of a request for a third bailout, indicating that he was prepared to accept the majority of spending cuts demanded by the country’s creditors.

But German chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday there will be no negotiations on a new bailout for Greece before Sunday’s referendum.

On Wednesday Greece became the first developed country to default on the International Monetary Fund after its second bailout program expired late Tuesday. The IMF confirmed that the Greek government failed to make a scheduled €1.6 billion loan repayment.

The fund said Greece can now only receive further funding after its arrears are cleared. Greece asked for a last-minute repayment extension on Tuesday, which the fund said it will consider "in due course."