Investing.com - U.S. non-farm private employment rose much than expected for the second straight month in March, boosting optimism over the health of the labor market, industry data showed on Wednesday.
Payroll processing firm ADP said non-farm private employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 263,000 last month, easily surpassing forecasts for an increase of 187,000.
The economy created 245,000 jobs in February, downwardly revised from a previously reported increase of 298,000.
While not viewed as a reliable guide for the government jobs report due on Friday, April 7, it does give guidance on private-sector hiring.
USD/JPY was at 111.13 compared to 110.92 ahead of the release of the data, EUR/USD was trading at 1.0670 from around 1.0680, while GBP/USD was at 1.2483 from 1.2491 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 100.42, compared to 100.34 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures pointed to a muted open. The Dow futures tacked on 20 points, or 0.1%, the S&P 500 futures was up 2 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures declined 2 points.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,251.95 a troy ounce, compared to $1,254.75 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $51.60 a barrel from $51.63 earlier.