Wall Street mixed as jobs report shows solid economy but inflation fears

 

On Friday, Wall Street’s major indices were mixed as the stock market reacted to the December jobs report, which showed that the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected last month. The S&P 500 was little changed, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was slightly lower, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. Treasury yields rose as the jobs report also showed that average hourly pay increased more than anticipated. This raised concerns that inflation could remain high and prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates sooner than expected.

The jobs report was the main focus of the market, as it provided a snapshot of the health of the economy amid the challenges of the omicron variant, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages. The report showed that employers added 199,000 jobs in December, beating the consensus estimate of 160,000. The unemployment rate fell to 3.9%, the lowest since February 2020. However, the labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 61.9%, indicating that many workers have not returned to the job market.

The report also showed that average hourly earnings rose 0.6% in December, higher than the expected 0.4%. This pushed the annual wage growth to 4.7%, the highest since 2008. While higher wages are good news for workers, they also fuel inflationary pressures, which have been a major worry for investors and consumers. The latest inflation data from the consumer and wholesale levels are due out next week.

The Fed has signaled that it will end its bond-buying program in March and start raising interest rates later this year to combat inflation. However, some analysts believe that the Fed may have to act faster and more aggressively if inflation does not ease soon.

The stock market has been volatile in the past few weeks, as investors weighed the risks and opportunities of the economic recovery. The S&P 500 is on track for its first losing week in the last 10, after posting its best year since 2019. The Nasdaq has underperformed, as high-growth technology stocks have been hit hard by the prospect of higher interest rates.

The bond market has also been turbulent, as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note has surged from 1.51% at the end of 2023 to 1.77% on Friday, the highest since June 2021. Higher bond yields make stocks less attractive, especially those that are valued based on their future earnings.

The market will be looking for more clues on the Fed’s policy outlook next week, when Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials are scheduled to speak. The market will also be watching the earnings season, which kicks off next week with reports from major banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs.