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.