06 September 2024
If you are covering the latest US jobs data, please see the following comment from Richard Carter, head of fixed interest research at Quilter Cheviot:
“Today’s US jobs data is expected to determine the size and pace of the highly anticipated Federal Reserve rate cuts, and with the increase in nonfarm payrolls coming in worse than feared at 142,000, we will no doubt see increased speculation that the Fed will take decisive action with a 50bps cut on the 18th of September.
“Alongside this disappointing August figure, July’s nonfarm payrolls number was also revised down from 114,000 to just 89,000. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.2% following a rise to 4.3% in July, and wage growth came in at 3.8% on an annual basis, up 0.2% compared to 3.6% reported last month.
“Markets have been pricing in significant cuts before year end, with many economists touting more than 1%, and today’s labour market print could exacerbate this further. As was the case last month, this data release has proven notably weaker than had been hoped, suggesting the economy may be weakening more than is consistent with the Fed’s aim of a soft landing.
"When considered alongside signs of softening elsewhere in the economy, today’s worse than expected jobs data will all but guarantee a shift in the Federal Reserve’s stance. The Fed’s decision making is highly data sensitive, and with many datapoints continuously suggesting a slowing economy, it seems inevitable that we will see the first cut confirmed this month.”
