All eyes are on the U.S. dollar today, as the currency traded at 0.3 percent from an eight-month low yesterday, falling against most major currencies after the 16-day government shutdown that hampered the U.S. economy. More specifically, investors anxiously await the Non-Farm Payrolls release of September finally scheduled for later today, at 1:30 p.m. GMT.

The NFP report will indicate whether employment levels have reached sufficient targets for the Federal Reserve to reduce the economic stimulus, as had been previously forecast, or whether the government’s decision to extend the debt ceiling will prolong quantitative easing.

The Canadian dollar also ended its 3-day gain, as Canada’s central bank is expected to downgrade the country’s economy should the NFP report turn out to be lower than expected on account of the stunted economic growth in the U.S., Canada’s major trading partner