By Alan Charlish

WARSAW, Aug 2 (Reuters) -The Czech crown EURCZK= gained on its highs from the previous session on Friday after the central bank (CNB) slowed its policy-easing drive and signalled a cautious approach to future rate cuts.

Thursday's 25-basis-point cut, described by Governor Ales Michl as "hawkish", brought the main repo rate CZCBIR=ECI to 4.50% and came after four 50-basis-point moves.

"The CNB's decision to cut by a standard 25 bps brought the market some relief ...The crown was also helped by Governor Ales Michl's hawkish comments," bank CSOB said in a note. "The crown can profit from that even today."

At 0849 GMT the crown was 0.26% firmer against the euro at 25.32.

Elsewhere in the region currencies were mixed as markets waited for U.S. jobs data later in the day. The Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday could seal the case for a September interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve, analysts say.

The Polish zloty EURPLN= firmed 0.21% to 4.2895, but remained within the range it has traded in over the last two weeks.

"I think (the zloty) will remain in a range," said a Warsaw-based currency trader. "It seems 4.30 is capped by exporters' interest in selling euro/PLN, on the other hand globally sentiment is not very good so there is no reason for the zloty to appreciate."

The Hungarian forint EURHUF=, which has been central Europe's worst-performing currency this year, was 0.13% softer at 396.80, hitting its weakest level since late June after having already taken a hit from a disappointing GDP reading earlier in the weak.

"There's a risk-off, sentiment-based trading on global markets today," Orsolya Nyeste, an analyst at Erste said.

"This weighs on the forint too, I don't see a currency-specific reason for its weakening. U.S. Labour data in the afternoon might influence the eurodollar exchange rate and Fed rate-cut expectations."

The region's stock markets fell 0.7-1.0%, as global markets fell amid investor anxiety about U.S. growth.

Reporting by Alan Charlish in Warsaw, Boldizsar Gyori, in Budapest, Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Angus MacSwan

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