Dollar steadies against euro on markets

The dollar steadied above a record low against the euro and a basket of currencies today as investors awaited a US September …

The dollar steadied above a record low against the euro and a basket of currencies today as investors awaited a US September jobs report due later in the session.

The US currency had eased overnight, pausing in its recovery from all-time trough hit earlier this week as investors expected the jobs data to keep the Federal Reserve on track to cut interest rates again later this month.

The dollar index, a gauge of the currency's value against a basket of major currencies, edged down 0.08 per cent to 78.418 but remained above an all-time low around 77.660 hit earlier this week.

The euro was little changed from late US trade yesterday at $1.4134, staying well below a record high of $1.4283 hit on electronic trading platform EBS on Monday.

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Traders said a US jobs growth figure below the median expectation of 100,000 may reignite a dollar -selling trend triggered last month after the Fed slashed its interest rates by 50 basis points to 4.75 per cent.

But investors refrained from taking big positions after data this week had suggested the labour market in September was resilient in the face of slumping housing sector and pointed to a possible strong figure in the US jobs report.