US Fed will take the data in stride as it prepares to keep boosting interest rates and wait for a more-sustained cooling in job growth to help moderate wage gains and inflation
The dollar was headed for a fifth winning week versus major peers as benchmark U.S. Treasury yields resumed climb having hit their highest since November 2018 in the previous session
US employers added a burst of 467,000 jobs in January despite a wave of omicron inflections that sickened millions of workers
Investors will be closely watching fresh U.S. labour market data due later on Friday, which could sway the timing of Federal Reserve interest rate increases.
Spot gold was little changed at $1,814.58 per ounce by 0646 GMT, while U.S. gold futures traded flat at $1,816.50.
Gold prices gained, propped up by a sluggish dollar, with investors looking ahead to US non-farm payrolls data which could be the key to the US Federal Reserve's stimulus-tapering decision
A key jobs report due later in the day is expected to deliver further signs of growth in the United States
Attention will now turn to the U.S. consumer price report on Thursday where the risk is of another high number, though the Fed still argues the spike is transitory
President Joe Biden portrayed the May jobs report as a jumping off point for more spending on infrastructure and education to keep growth going essentially an argument for his agenda
A stronger-than-expected jobs report would have heightened worries that the Fed might contemplate paring back its bond-buying program and raising interest rates
Private companies in the US added 978,000 jobs in May, which marked the biggest gain in 11 months and indicated a continued labour market recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report
US nonfarm payrolls data on Friday showed jobs growth unexpectedly slowed in April, pushing the dollar to a more than two-month trough, making gold less expensive for holders of other currencies
Employment at temporary-help agencies and transportation and warehousing declined sharply.
Economists expect job growth will average at least 700,000 per month in the second and third quarters
Nonfarm payrolls surged 379,000 jobs last month after rising 166,000 in January, the Labor Department said on Friday. In December, payrolls fell for the first time in eight months
Private payrolls increased by 117,000 jobs last month, the ADP National Employment Report showed on Wednesday
The United States remains about 9 million jobs short of where it was a year ago
The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly rose last week as a relentless wave of new Covid-19 infections hobbled business operations
(Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq touched all-time highs on Thursday as hopes of a swift COVID-19 vaccine-driven recovery and economic stimulus eased immediate worries about rising coronavirus cases and dismal economic data.
Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,811.31 per ounce by 0324 GMT. U.S. gold futures were up 0.2% to $1,808.70