** China's July exports growth likely cooled but still robust
** Interim head Destry frontrunner to be Bank Indonesia Governor, source says
** India rate hike calls pushed back after central bank's dovish pause
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FX moves and U.S. data focus
Investors will focus on the U.S. labour market data later in the day ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls report, with trading in the U.S. dollar turning more data-dependent in the absence of clear guidance from the Federal Reserve.
"We think that high carry currencies are worth having a look at, (at) a time when there is considerable uncertainty around the Fed's next steps," said Tilmann Kolb, analyst at UBS Global Wealth Management.
"We need to be ready to see any kind of data release in this sphere to potentially have an impact on the FX."
Most emerging Asian currencies were mixed against the U.S. dollar, while South Africa's rand ZAR= and the Turkish lira TRYTOM=D3 traded steady.
Most emerging Europe currencies were muted against the euro, except the Hungarian forint, which fell 0.8%.
Emerging Europe and energy concerns
Emerging Europe, meanwhile, has been gripped by concerns over a potential energy crisis in the region. Low water levels in the Danube river have forced Hungary to shut down its sole nuclear plant, threatening to undermine its industrial recovery, while Romania may also shut down its sole working reactor within a week unless water can be re-directed to the plant.
Romanian benchmark .BETI slipped 1.8% and Hungarian stocks .BUX were subdued, while Polish blue-chip stocks .WIG20 gained 0.7%.
Crude oil prices traded firm as traders waited for the outcome of Iran-Oman talks to resume shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. O/R
Emerging markets stocks and currencies
Emerging-market stocks retreated from multi-week highs on Thursday, weighed down by a pullback in Asian semiconductor stocks.
MSCI's index tracking global EM equities .MSCIEF slipped 1.6% from a three-week high set in the previous session, while the currencies equivalent .MIEM00000CUS traded little changed near a record high.
Unprecedented volatility in Asian tech stocks since late June has rippled through the MSCI EM index, with just nine companies — mostly from South Korea and Taiwan — accounting for more than 40% of its weighting.
South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 dropped 4.6%, and Taiwanese shares .TWII edged 0.5% lower.
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