Markets face up to the US jobs data today in tentative mood, Asian stocks having softened by the greatest degree in nearly two weeks overnight and the past two days having seen high-beta currencies, such as the Aussie and Korean won the weakest performers of the majors. The recent trend in jobless claims, together with the ADP data earlier in the week, have tempered expectations of a strong set of numbers, with the market looking for a 160k gain in headline payrolls following the softer 120k increase seen in March. Nevertheless, in the wider picture, expectations of further QE from the Fed have also been cut back, so it would take a pretty weak payrolls number to shift this expectation and knock the dollar from its relatively steady tone of the past month.
