* Dollar jumps on surprising U.S. private-sector jobs data
* Wall Street rebounds as jobs creation tops forecasts
* Crude oil prices rebound despite dollar's strength
* Government bonds slide after strong U.S. economic data
(Adds close of U.S. markets)
By Herbert Lash
NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar jumped and
crude oil prices rebounded on Wednesday after surprisingly
strong data on private-sector jobs added to growing evidence
the U.S. economy is on the path to recovery.
Wall Street's early losses turned to gains and global
equities pared most of their losses after ADP Employer Services
reported that private-sector employers created nearly triple
the number of jobs in December as markets had expected.
The dollar was on pace for its best one-day gain in more
than three months against the Japanese yen, and oil prices
rebounded on the news that U.S. private employers added 297,000
jobs in December.
The strong dollar initially pressured commodity prices,
with copper prices tumbling from a record high on Tuesday and
gold down in its biggest three-day slide since mid-November.
But oil prices later turned positive and copper pared most
losses as the strong dollar, which had earlier dragged down
crude oil further from 27-month highs, eased a bit.
The U.S. dollar index <.DXY> gained about 1 percent.
Stocks in Tokyo were poised to open higher, with the March
futures contract that trades in Chicago for the Nikkei 225
<0#NK:> up 110 points at 10,540.
The unexpectedly large jump in U.S. private-sector jobs
drove down prices of U.S. Treasury securities as optimism over
the economy fed a bid for riskier assets. For details see:
[]
Investors now await U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for December
that is due on Friday for further signs the U.S. economy is
recovering more quickly than expected. []
"Today's all about data reaction; you had a blowout ADP
report," said Michael Cloherty, head of rates strategy at RBC
Capital Markets in New York. "In general expectations have
changed significantly for Friday's number."
A report from the Institute for Supply Management, an
industry group, that its gauge of the massive U.S. services
sector reached its highest level in over four years also helped
U.S. stocks to rebound and global equities to trim losses.
ISM said its index of U.S. services sector activity rose to
57.1 in December, up from expectations of 55.6.
Financials led gains on Wall Street, helped by credit-card
companies such as Capital One Finance Corp <COF.N>, whose
shares rose 4.2 percent, and extended an equities rally in
December that had sparked worries of having come too far, too
fast.
The S&P consumer finance index <.GSPCFI>, which includes
major personal finance companies, gained 2. percent.
"The economy is clearly accelerating," said Edward
Hemmelgarn, president of Shaker Investments in Cleveland. "It's
difficult to make the case for the market to go down in the
first six months of the year."
The Dow Jones industrial average <> closed up 31.71
points, or 0.27 percent, at 11,722.89. The Standard & Poor's
500 Index <.SPX> added 6.36 points, or 0.50 percent, at
1,276.56. The Nasdaq Composite Index <> gained 20.95
points, or 0.78 percent, at 2,702.20.
The euro <EUR=> slipped 1.12 percent to $1.3152 and against
the yen, the dollar <JPY=> rose 1.50 percent to 83.26
Upbeat U.S. economic data and worries about the ability of
certain euro zone countries to sell an abundance of debt has
helped make the week so far a banner one for the dollar, and
could lead it to outperform other major currencies.
"There is a large appetite for the dollar as it is being
viewed as the growth currency of choice," said Andrew
Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers in
Greenwich, Connecticut.
Treasuries prices fell on the strong data and some analysts
see prices falling further as a brighter economic outlook dims
the attraction of government debt, a traditional safe haven
investment. []
Treasury debt prices also took another leg down after the
Federal Reserve bought the minimum $1.5 billion of its planned
bond purchases for Wednesday. []
Analysts said speculation that the Fed could curtail its
$600 billion bond-buying program is likely unfounded after
minutes released on Tuesday showed the U.S. central bank sees a
"high bar" for stopping its second quantitative easing program.
[]
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note <US10YT=RR> was
down 33/32 in price to yield 3.47 percent.
Gold fell as the dollar surged and the strong jobs data
dented safe-haven buying. But bullion ended off its lows as
commodities rebounded on an improving economic outlook.
[]
U.S. February gold futures <GCG1> settled down $5.10 at
$1,373.70 an ounce.
U.S. light crude for February delivery <CLc1> ended up 92
cents at $90.30 a barrel. In London, ICE Brent crude for
February delivery <LCOc1> settled up $1.97 at $95.50.
Brent's premium to the U.S. benchmark West Texas
Intermediate surged above $5 a barrel, the highest in seven
months.
European shares closed flat on Wednesday as the large
increase in U.S. job creation was countered by the stronger
dollar, which helped weaken metals prices and halt a rally in
the mining sector.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <> index of top
shares rose 0.04 percent to close at 1,142.46 points, with the
U.S. jobs data helping it climb off a day's low of 1,128.49.
Japan's Nikkei <> closed down nearly 0.2 percent after
hitting a 7-1/2-month closing high on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, Gene
Ramos, Karen Brettell and Frank Tang in New York; Writing by
Herbert Lash; Editing by Leslie Adler)
