Bitcoin holds $64,000 as private hiring drops 53% before today’s macro test that could break support

Bitcoin at $64,000 faced a key test early Friday as the official U.S. jobs report approached, after a sharp slowdown in private hiring left the market balancing possible interest rate relief against the risk of a deeper growth scare.At about 2:08 a.m. UTC, Coinbase priced Bitcoin at $64,322.23, only 0.37% above the bottom of a $64,087.41 to $64,944.16 rolling 24-hour range. CryptoSlate's Bitcoin page displayed a closely aligned $64,344.62, down 0.33% over 24 hours.ADP reported that private employers added 44,000 jobs in July, 51,000 fewer than the revised 95,000 gain in June. ADP is an independent measure of private employment and should not be treated as a one-for-one forecast of the government's payroll count.July's gain was also concentrated. Education and health services supplied 36,000 jobs, about 82% of the overall increase. Services added 47,000 positions while goods producers lost 3,000. Leisure and hospitality shed 11,000 jobs, trade, transportation and utilities lost 8,000, and natural resources and mining lost 6,000.ADP's wage data complicated the case for an easier policy outlook. Annual pay growth for workers changing jobs accelerated to 7.0% from 6.6% in June, while g...