Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose less than expected in February, 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 212,000 last month, below expectations for an increase of 220,000.
The economy created 250,000 jobs in January, whose figure was upwardly revised from a previously reported 213,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, March 6, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1120 from around 1.1123 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.5327 from 1.5326 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 119.70 compared to 119.61 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 95.77, compared to 95.73 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was downbeat. The Dow futures indicated a loss of 0.25% at the open, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a decline of 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.25%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,204.10 a troy ounce, compared to $1,202.40 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $50.98 a barrel from $50.97 earlier.