By CountingPips.com
The US dollar has been on the rise in forex trading action despite the worse than expected monthly government jobs report released today. The American currency has been gaining versus the euro, British pound sterling, Japanese yen, Australian dollar, Swiss franc and the New Zealand dollar today while showing a slight decline versus the Canadian dollar.
The US stock markets, meanwhile, have been mixed with the Dow Jones industrial average being just about unchanged, 
the NASDAQ up by over 10 points and the S&P 500 higher by approximately 1 point in the afternoon of the US session.
Gold futures have been lower by $3.80 to trade at the $1348.30 per ounce level while oil has declined by $0.95 to trade at the $89.59 per barrel level.
Today’s government jobs data came in much less than expected with a gain of 36,000 jobs for January following a revised gain of 121,000 jobs in December. Many market watchers blamed adverse weather conditions and January’s snowstorms as holding the jobs data down for the month.
Market forecasters and economists were expecting the nonfarm payroll report to show a gain of approximately 146,000 jobs for the month.
The unemployment rate fell to 9.0 percent in January from 9.4 percent and reached its lowest point since April 2009.
November’s employment data was also revised higher to show an increase of 93,000 jobs after a gain of 71,000 jobs previously reported.
Private companies created 50,000 jobs in January as the service sector added 32,000 jobs and the goods producing sector increased by 18,000 jobs. Government hiring fell by 14,000 workers for the month.
Professional and business services led the way in the service sector with job creation of 31,000 workers while retail trade hiring added 27,500 jobs in January. In the goods producing sector, manufacturing jobs rose by 49,000 workers while construction jobs declined by 32,000 workers.
