Strong U.S. December Job Growth Questions Potential March Fed Rate Cut In December, U.S. employers hired more workers than anticipated and increased wages significantly, raising doubts about the financial market’s expectations of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in March. The Labor Department reported a rise of 216,000 nonfarm payrolls, adjusting November’s figures down from 199,000 to 173,000. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7%. Following the employment report, U.S. stock futures initially dropped but then stabilized, U.S. Treasury yields increased, and the dollar index saw a slight gain. Futures contracts tied to the Fed’s policy rate now indicate only a 50% chance of a rate reduction in March, a decrease from the nearly 65% likelihood expected prior to the job data release. « Previous Article Next Article » Share This Article Choose Your Platform: Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Related Posts Markets on Edge: Continuing Coverage of Regional Banking Crisis READ MORE Treasury Yields Dip Ahead of Fed Rate Decision READ MORE BofA Sees 75 bps Q4 Cut as Fed Signals Easing Cycle READ MORE Why have all Chinese banks disappeared from the LBMA Gold Price auction? READ MORE Bitcoin Rallies on Cooling Inflation, Eyes New Highs READ MORE Add a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Name * Email * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Comment