Inflation, Earnings and Other Key Things to Watch this Week

Wednesday's January employment report at 8:30am creates unusual dynamics with its mid-week timing, compressing the window between labor market data and Friday's CPI release. Nonfarm payrolls, unemployment rate, and average hourly earnings will be analyzed for evidence of labor market cooling or resilience that could influence the incoming Fed chair's policy inheritance. The wage growth component takes on heightened importance given recent inflation stickiness, with strong wage gains potentially validating c ...