The dollar soared  after U.S. jobs, trade and services activity data beat expectations, bolstering the case for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in December. The dollar rose to a more than three-month high against the euro and jumped to session highs against the yen and Swiss franc after data showing U.S. private employers added 182,000 jobs in October. It added to gains following a report that found the U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in September to its lowest in seven months. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, reached a 2-1/2 month high of 97.903 after U.S. services activity jumped more than expected in October. A report from the Institute for Supply Management showed the services sector grew at a faster clip in October as employment, new orders, and business activity expanded. "The private sector continues to add jobs at a healthy pace, and I think it's likely strong enough that if this pace of job growth continues, it will be enough to justify a rate hike in December," said Omer Eisner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington. The euro fell nearly 1 percent against the dollar to $1.0863 . The dollar gained more modestly against the yen and Swiss franc, rising 0.3 percent to 121.43 yen and 0.2 percent against the franc to 0.9918. Wednesday's jobs figures from the ADP National Employment report come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department's key nonfarm payrolls report due on Friday, which includes both public- and private-sector employment. The ADP report beat expectations from Reuters analysts, whose consensus forecast was for 180,000 new jobs. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen spoke at a hearing on bank regulation before the U.S. House Financial Services. She said the economy was "performing well" and could justify a rate increase next month. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's comments, in which he continued to emphasize downside risks to the euro zone market and external factors, also weighed on the euro and benefited the dollar. The contrast between Draghi's dovishness and economic signals pointing to a December U.S. rate hike pushed the dollar higher against the euro. (Reuters)