Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose more-than-expected in December, fuelling optimism 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 241,000 last month, above expectations for an increase of 226,000.
The economy created 227,000 jobs in November, whose figure was upwardly revised from a previously reported 208,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, January 9, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1828 from around 1.1834 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5120 from 1.5123 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 119.43 compared to 119.32 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 92.27, compared to 92.23 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock index futures remained modestly higher. The Dow futures indicated a gain of 0.75% at the open, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a rise of 0.75%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated an increase of 0.7%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,211.50 a troy ounce, compared to $1,213.00 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $48.49 a barrel from $48.40 earlier.