financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
U.S. Added Just 114K Jobs in July, Unemployment Rate Shoots Up to 4.3%
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
U.S. Added Just 114K Jobs in July, Unemployment Rate Shoots Up to 4.3%
Aug 2, 2024 6:52 AM

The jobs market softened appreciably in July with the U.S. adding just 114,000 jobs during the month and the unemployment rate rising to 4.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Those 114,000 jobs were well shy of expectations for 175,000 and down from 179,000 in June (itself revised lower from an originally reported 206,000).

The unemployment rate of 4.3% was up from 4.1% in June and above forecasts for 4.1%.

The price of bitcoin {{BTC}} is about flat from just before the numbers hit, now trading at $64,500, and little-changed from 24 hours ago.

Reaction in traditional markets was far bigger, with the 10-year Treasury yield tumbling 15 basis points to 3.83% and the two-year yield a full 23 basis points to 3.93% – both levels the lowest in more than a year. Stocks aren't loving the numbers nearly as much, with Nasdaq futures now down 2.3% and S&P 500 lower by 1.6%.

Also on the move are the dollar, which has sunk 0.6%, and gold, which has risen 1.3% to a new record high of $2,513 per ounce.

Checking other report details, average hourly earnings rose 0.2% in July, shy of 0.3% expected, and 0.3% in June. On an annual basis, average hourly earnings were higher by 3.6% versus 3.7% expected and 3.8% in June. Average weekly hours also missed expectations, coming in at 34.2 against forecasts for 34.3 and 34.3 in June.

Having already fully priced in a 25 basis point Federal Reserve rate cut in September, traders are quickly amping up bets on an even larger move. According to CME FedWatch, there's now a 70% chance of a 50 basis point Fed cut in September versus only a 22% chance one day ago. A check of the December meeting shows traders beginning to place bets on a total of 125 basis points in rate cuts between now and the end of the year. One day ago, the overwhelming odds were for just 75 basis points of rate cuts in 2024.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
US Congress scrambles to pass $1.2 trillion spending bill, midnight deadline looms
US Congress scrambles to pass $1.2 trillion spending bill, midnight deadline looms
Mar 22, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic-majority Senate on Friday will scramble to beat a midnight government shutdown deadline by passing a $1.2 trillion bill keeping the government funded through September. If they succeed, it will end a more-than-six-month battle over the scope of Washington's spending for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. If they...
U.S. companies' stock purchases via buybacks, M&A to hit 6-year high in 2024, Goldman says
U.S. companies' stock purchases via buybacks, M&A to hit 6-year high in 2024, Goldman says
Mar 22, 2024
(Reuters) - U.S. companies' purchases of domestic equities through more stock buybacks and corporate acquisitions will hit a six-year high of $625 billion this year, about as much as mutual funds and pension houses will offload, Goldman Sachs said. A surge in share buybacks and continued growth in cash mergers and acquisitions (M&A) will be the primary drivers of corporate...
US Dollar Improves Early Friday Ahead of Fed Appearances, State Unemployment
US Dollar Improves Early Friday Ahead of Fed Appearances, State Unemployment
Mar 22, 2024
07:38 AM EDT, 03/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Friday, except for a decline versus the yen, ahead of a series of appearances by Federal Reserve officials that compensate for a lack of major US data. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to make opening remarks at a Fed Listens conference at...
Fed Chair Powell says pandemic has had lasting effects on economy
Fed Chair Powell says pandemic has had lasting effects on economy
Mar 22, 2024
(Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened a Fed Listens event on how Americans are experiencing the economy, saying the pandemic has had lasting effects and that to make good policy the U.S. central bank cannot rely only on macroeconomic data but needs to hear directly from people and businesses. He did not make any remarks about the...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved