Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose less than expected in March, 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 189,000 last month, below expectations for an increase of 225,000.
The economy created 214,000 jobs in February, whose figure was upwardly revised from a previously reported 212,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, April 3, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.0777 from around 1.0755 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4788 from 1.4765 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 119.93 compared to 120.19 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 98.50, compared to 98.69 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 0.35%, while Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.3%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,187.50 a troy ounce, compared to $1,184.80 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $47.59 a barrel from $47.54 earlier.