Breaking: US ADP private sector employment rises 143,000 in September vs. 120,000 forecast

Private sector employment in the US rose  143,000 in  September and annual pay was up 4.7% year-over-year, the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) reported on Wednesday. 

"Stronger hiring didn't require stronger pay growth last month," said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. "Typically, workers who change jobs see faster pay growth. But their premium over job-stayers shrank to 1.9 percent, matching a low we last saw in January."

Market reaction to ADP employment data

The US Dollar ticked marginally higher with the news, already backed by a risk-averse environment.

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This section below was published at 11:30 GMT as a preview of the US ADP Employment Change data.

 

• The ADP Employment Change report is expected to show a modest improvement in the number of private jobs created in September.
• The United States will publish the Nonfarm Payrolls report on Friday.
• The US Dollar consolidates post-Fed losses and is at risk of falling further. 

The Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Research Institute will release its monthly report on private-sector job creation for September on Wednesday. The so-called ADP Employment Change report is expected to show that the United States (US) added 120,000 new positions in September after creating 99,000 jobs in August.

The data is usually released two days ahead of the official Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report for the same month and is usually seen as an advanced indicator of the  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs report, despite a doubtful correlation between both indicators. 

ADP Jobs Report: Employment and the Federal Reserve

US employment data has been in the eye of the storm for over a year amid its impact on the latest Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary policy decisions. The Fed’s dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability has been under siege in the pandemic aftermath, and the central bank opted to tighten monetary policy to put things back in balance. 

The main issue was inflation, as price pressures skyrocketed throughout 2022. The Fed pushed rates to record highs and maintained them there amid the risks of a tight labor market further fuelling price pressures. Nevertheless, indicators have come into a better balance in the last few months, and the Fed finally decided to trim interest rates. US policymakers cut the benchmark rate by 50 basis points (bps) when they met in September while anticipating additional cuts on the way. 

That said, market participants are now wondering whether the central bank will deliver a mode discretionary 25 bps cut when it meets in November or proceed again with a 50 bps trim. Ahead of data releases, the odds for a 25 bps stand at 66%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

In the meantime, Fed officials have shifted their focus from inflation to employment. With price pressures receding, maintaining a “healthy” labor market is now their main goal.

With that in mind, a stronger-than-anticipated ADP report will likely weigh down the odds for another aggressive interest rate cut in November, giving near-term support to the US Dollar. On the contrary, a disappointing reading may force speculative interest to increase bets for another 50 bps interest rate cut, resulting in a weaker USD. Finally, it is worth remembering the report could have a short-lived impact, as market players will most likely wait until the NFP release scheduled for Friday. 

When will the ADP Report be released, and how could it affect the USD Index?

ADP will release the US Employment Change report on Wednesday and it is expected to show that the private sector added 120,000 new positions in September.

Ahead of the release, the US Dollar Index (DXY) consolidates below the 101.00 mark after posting a fresh 2024 low of 100.16 by the end of September. 

From a technical perspective, Valeria Bednarik, Chief Analyst at FXStreet, says: “The DXY has remained under pressure since the Fed’s monetary policy announcement mid-September, and technical readings in the daily chart suggest its bullish potential remains well-limited. A bearish 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA) provides near-term resistance around the aforementioned threshold, while a bearish 100 SMA gains downward momentum well above the shorter one, and after crossing below a flat 200 SMA.”

Bednarik adds: “Technical indicators, in the meantime, remain within negative levels, lacking directional momentum. Overall, the risk skews to the downside. Resistance beyond the 101.00 threshold comes at 101.47, followed by the daily low at 102.17 posted on August 5. Supports, on the other hand, can be found at 100.41 and the year-to-date low of 100.16. A break below the latter could anticipate a steeper decline towards the 99.00 figure.”