US jobs number

Spot gold slipped as much as 0.1% after the data release. The price was 0.1% higher at US$2,670.84 ($3,662.94) an ounce as of 8.39am in New York.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, while average hourly earnings rose 0.3% from November, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed Friday.

Besides the 339,000 jump in payrolls, other recent data showed elevated job openings and a moderate number of unemployment claims.

(June 4): The latest disappointing US jobs number has not changed the overall economic picture and gradual rate hikes remain appropriate, Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said on Saturday.