Dollar firms before payrolls, Greece unease simmers

LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar hit a three-week high on Thursday and world stock markets had a delicate feel, as the implication of U.S. jobs data later for a possible Fed rate hike added to Europe's uncertainty over Greece.

Chinese shares also remained in focus as they suffered another heavy tumble overnight to take their loses over the last six weeks to 25 percent, countering otherwise solid performances in the rest of Asia's main centers.

Europe's main bourses in London <.FTSE>, Frankfurt <.GDAXI> and Paris <.FCHI> and Milan <.FTMIB> were largely flat having rallied on Wednesday, but the mood remained skittish after hopes of a last minute aid deal between Athens and the euro zone evaporated.

A defiant Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged Greeks on Wednesday to reject an international bailout deal, wrecking any prospect of repairing broken relations with European Union partners before a referendum on Sunday that may decide Greece's future in Europe.

Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis came out with a similarly strong message on Thursday, saying the only chance of the country getting back on track was immediate debt relief, something the rest of the euro zone is not prepared to offer.

"What we are saying to the Greek people is no more 'extend and pretend', please back us," he said in an interview.

"I prefer to cut my arm off (than sign a deal without debt restructuring)," he added. "Would you invest in a country whose debt is not sustainable according to the IMF?"

It ensured the region's bond markets stayed in the red. Spain, another of the euro zone's heavily-indebted countries, saw its 10-year borrowing costs hit their highest for 10 months at a debt auction.

The euro was largely unaffected as it held at $1.1075 although many traders had already squared up, knowing a strong set of U.S. jobs figures later will increase expectations of a Federal Reserve hike in September, or a least this year.

Economists polled by Reuters expect the U.S. economy to have added 232,000 jobs in June after May's unexpected 280,000 surge. But strong private hiring figures on Wednesday left economists considering another bumper reading.

"You can see there is edginess in the market," said Kit Juckes, at Societe Generale in London.

"If you get something strong (in payrolls data) that really makes it look like the Fed are going to hike, with all the Greek uncertainty in the background too, you could really get some risk aversion breaking out."

INDEPENDENCE

U.S. stock futures were pointing to a modest 0.2 percent rise for the main S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial and Nasdaq bourses when they resume later, although with the 1230 GMT (8:30 a.m. EDT) payrolls approaching it was very much guess work.

Wall Street will be closed on Friday ahead of July 4 Independence Day celebrations meaning U.S. investors will want to square up positions, particularly in Europe ahead of Greece's referendum on the euro zone's spending cuts package.

Markets were relieved though that the European Central Bank opted against cutting back the emergency funding that it is sanctioning for Greek banks, and on Thursday announced it had broadened the list of bonds eligible for its QE program.

SWEDEN SURPRISES, OIL STEADIES

Outside the euro zone there was also central bank action.

In a surprise move, Sweden's Riksbank cut its main interest rate deeper into negative territory and upped the size of its bond buying program. It was in response to low inflation but also a bid to prevent a jump in the crown as Greek nerves drive investors out of the euro.

The crown weakened against the euro after the decision and traded at 9.34 compared to 9.26 just before the announcement. Meanwhile the euro was last at $1.1050 against the dollar, with the dollar also nudging back toward 124 yen .

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> ended little changed after more volatile regional trade. Tokyo's Nikkei <.N225> climbed 1.1 percent thanks to a weaker yen, but it was the 4 percent slump in Chinese stocks that grabbed the attention.

"We are shaping up for a bumpy ride in the summer as the Greek crisis means a risk-on, risk-off approach is seen in the markets," said Tai Hui, chief markets strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management in Hong Kong. "Investors are likely going to move toward a more conservative positioning in their portfolios."

In commodities, U.S. crude steadied somewhat after shedding 4 percent overnight on data showing stockpiles in the United States rose for the first time in more than two months.

U.S. crude was a touch higher at $57.04 a barrel and Brent crude futures were trading at $62.33 per barrel but there was a lot of repositioning after recent ranges were broken.

Traders were keeping a close eye on nuclear talks between Western powers and Iran, looking for any sign of a deal to lift sanctions on the oil-rich nation.

"I think the drop in oil was somewhat underreported yesterday" said Society Generale's Juckes. "I don't think you can really be comfortable with any commodity currency at the moment."

(Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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