Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose less than expected in August, dampening optimism over the strength of the economy and fanning hopes that the Federal Reserve could delay raising interest rates until the very end of 2015, industry data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, payroll processing firm ADP said non-farm private employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 190,000 last month, below expectations for an increase of 201,000.
The economy created 177,000 jobs in July, whose figure was downwardly revised from a previously reported increase of 185,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, August 4, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1265 from around 1.1263 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5284 from 1.5278 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 120.06 compared to 120.16 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 95.71, compared to 95.72 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat. The Dow futures indicated a gain of 0.65% at the open, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a rise of 0.65%, while Nasdaq 100 futures tacked on 0.7%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,138.50 a troy ounce, compared to $1,137.70 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $44.63 a barrel from $44.62 earlier.