Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose much less than expected in September, dampening optimism over the health of the labor market, industry data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, payroll processing firm ADP said non-farm private employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 154,000 last month, below forecasts for an increase of 166,000.
The economy created 175,000 jobs in August, whose figure was downwardly revised from a previously reported increase of 177,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, October 7, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1219 from around 1.1212 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.2729 from 1.2719 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 103.02 compared to 103.14 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 96.07, compared to 96.12 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures pointed to a modestly higher open. The Dow futures indicated a gain of 0.15%, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a rise of 0.15%, while Nasdaq 100 futures tacked on 0.15%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,277.45 a troy ounce, compared to $1,274.75 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $49.62 a barrel from $49.58 earlier.