Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose less-than-expected in January, fuelling concerns over the strength of the U.S. labor market, industry data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, payroll processing firm ADP said non-farm private employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 213,000 last month, below expectations for an increase of 225,000.
The economy created 253,000 jobs in December, whose figure was upwardly revised from a previously reported 241,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, February 6, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1450 from around 1.1446 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5237 from 1.5231 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 117.48 compared to 117.49 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 93.98, compared to 93.93 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was downbeat. The Dow futures indicated a loss of 0.3% at the open, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a decline of 0.45%, while Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.5%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,269.00 a troy ounce, compared to $1,268.80 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $51.91 a barrel from $51.85 earlier.