Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose less than expected in December, dampening optimism over the health of the labor market, industry data showed on Thursday.
Payroll processing firm ADP said non-farm private employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 153,000 last month, below forecasts for an increase of 170,000.
The economy created 216,000 jobs in November.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, January 6, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
USD/JPY was at 116.36 compared to 116.56 ahead of the release of the data, EUR/USD was trading at 1.0513 from around 1.0497, while GBP/USD was at 1.2295 from 1.2286 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 102.28, compared to 102.41 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly lower open. The Dow futures indicated a loss of 0.1%, the S&P 500 futures pointed to a decline of 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.2%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,174.75 a troy ounce, compared to $1,172.00 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $53.66 a barrel from $53.63 earlier.