The dollar was flat, Oil prices steadied

Economic data will also dictate the path of interest rate hikes in the world’s largest economy, and recently that has been fairly mixed.

The dollar was flat against a basket of major currencies .DXY on Thursday, having slipped a bit on Wednesday after a survey showed hiring slowed to an 11-month low of 135,000 [USADP=ECI], partly to disruptions from hurricanes, although this was better than economists’ median forecast. 

Economists expect Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report, one of the most closely watched pieces of economic data in financial markets, to show a similar slowdown. 

They estimate a payroll increase in September of 90,000, substantially lower than the average over the past year of around 175,000, though some say investors may need to pay attention to state data due on Oct. 20 to exclude the impact from hurricanes. 

U.S. 10-year bond yields were flat at 2.33 percent, holding below multi-month peaks hit earlier this week US10YT=RR. 

Trump proposed a tax overhaul late last month but it remains to be seen whether the plan can get through Congress given the divisions among Republicans. 

Oil prices steadied on Thursday on expectations that Saudi Arabia and Russia would extend production cuts, although record U.S. exports and the return of supply from a Libyan oilfield dragged on the market.

Brent crude LCOc1 was up 20 cents at $56.00 a barrel by 0800 GMT. U.S. light crude CLc1 was unchanged at $49.98.

Elsewhere, Qatar’s stock index .QSI sank to a fresh five-year low on Thursday, hurt by the effects of sanctions imposed by neighboring states.