The pound has gained some ground against sterling, as weaker-than-expected US jobs data undermined the dollar.

The pound closed at 82.07p against sterling in late trading from 81.47p on Thursday and at DM2.5170 from DM2.5158.

US non-farm employment fell by 36,000 in March compared with an expected rise of 220,000. The Bank of England's monetary policy committee is due to meet next week and analysts say that sterling's future direction depends on how this sustains talk of even higher British interest rates.