Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose more than expected in September, boosting optimism over the health of the economy and supporting the case for a U.S. interest rate hike this year, industry data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, payroll processing firm ADP said non-farm private employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 200,000 this month, above expectations for an increase of 194,000.
The economy created 186,000 jobs in August, whose figure was downwardly revised from a previously reported increase of 190,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, October 2, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1203 from around 1.1206 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5165 from 1.5170 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 120.26 compared to 120.21 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 96.36, compared to 96.33 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat. The Dow futures indicated a gain of 1.1% at the open, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a rise of 1.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures jumped 1.4%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,121.80 a troy ounce, compared to $1,122.10 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $44.94 a barrel from $44.95 earlier.