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[ad_1] MSCI’s global equity index ended Friday’s session virtually unchanged while the dollar was lower as government data showed that U.S. jobs growth slowed more than expected in June, easing worries about the outlook for Federal Reserve rate hikes. But while investors appeared to hold out hope for a less hawkish Fed, they were also looking cautiously to the week ahead, with key U.S. inflation readings due along with the start of the second-quarter earnings season. Official U.S. nonfarm payrolls on Friday showed employers added 209,000 new hires in June, below forecasts, while May numbers were revised down by 33,000 to 306,000. Still, the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in June from 3.7% in May and average hourly earnings rose 0.4%, the same as May. On Thursday, private payroll provider ADP’s strong U.S. labor market data had sparked an equities sell-off and boosted Treasury yields. While Friday’s government data was initially met with a more muted market reaction, stocks gained

[ad_1] Last Updated: July 07, 2023, 02:06 IST New York, United States of America (USA) Gold is highly sensitive to rising U.S. interest rates, as they increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $1,910.15 per ounce by 2:08 p.m. EDT (1808 GMT), while U.S. gold futures settled 0.6% lower at $1,915.40 Gold prices slipped to a near one-week low on Thursday after a better-than-expected U.S. private payrolls report fuelled expectations for more rate hikes from the Federal Reserve, lifting Treasury yields higher. Spot gold was down 0.4% at $1,910.15 per ounce by 2:08 p.m. EDT (1808 GMT), while U.S. gold futures settled 0.6% lower at $1,915.40. U.S. private payrolls increased more than expected in June, indicating strength in the labour market despite growing risks of a recession from higher interest rates. Benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields rose to a more than four-month peak, while yield on two-year U.S. Treasury note hit the highest si