Federal Reserve officials appeared surprisingly wary of cutting interest rates when they met last month, with several even suggesting the central bank may need to raise rates if inflation remains stubbornly high. While the minutes of the central bank’s Jan. 27-28 policy meeting, released Wednesday, fell far short of suggesting most officials were contemplating the possibility of rate increases, they made clear the Fed is shifting further away from agreeing on another cut. That could put it on a collisio ...

Forecasters expect a report Friday to show US GDP expanded at a solid pace in 2025 — but flatlining employment is stirring uneasy parallels to the “jobless recovery” of the early 2000s https://t.co/ChvL2J6IUh ...

Inflation Overview - Inflation slowed in January to 2.4%, the lowest pace since May 2025, following a positive jobs report, indicating the economy is currently avoiding the full impact of President Trump's tariffs [1][5] - The core inflation figure, excluding food and energy prices, decreased to 2.5%, marking the lowest level since 2021 [2] Employment Impact - Consumer inflation has been gradually decreasing from a peak of 3% in September, reaching 2.7% in December, while wholesale inflation remains elevated at 3% [3] - The strong payroll report indicated that US employers added 130,000 jobs in January, which may influence the Federal Reserve's decision-making regarding interest rates [3] Federal Reserve Response - The likelihood of a rate cut in the near term is diminished due to the robust employment numbers, as the Federal Reserve is balancing inflation concerns with employment growth [4]

Group 1 - The market is currently experiencing a favorable period referred to as "AI goldilocks," which is contributing to an increase in GDP while keeping inflation low and not adversely affecting employment levels [1] Group 2 - James Foord, an economist with a decade of experience in global market analysis, leads The Pragmatic Investor, focusing on building diversified portfolios to preserve and grow wealth [2] - The Pragmatic Investor covers various sectors including global macro, international equities, commodities, technology, and cryptocurrencies, providing resources such as a portfolio, weekly market updates, actionable trades, technical analysis, and a chat room for investors [2]

Employment at US factories increased for the first time since late 2024, a nascent sign that American manufacturing may be starting to emerge from years of malaise https://t.co/9MM4kIicmZ ...

Here are five key takeaways from the January US employment report https://t.co/jlyVc8jzgu ...

US Jobs Report January 2026: Live News on Employment, Payrolls https://t.co/PgJhA0j7GB ...

Economic Data - U.S. retail sales were unchanged month-over-month in December, weaker than expectations of +0.4% [2] - Core retail sales, excluding motor vehicles and parts, were also unchanged month-over-month, below the expected +0.3% [2] - The U.S. Q4 employment cost index rose +0.7% quarter-over-quarter, weaker than the anticipated +0.8% [2] - The U.S. import price index increased by +0.1% month-over-month in December, in line with expectations [2] Labor Market - Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 130,000 in January, significantly exceeding the anticipated 55,000 [4] - The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, lower than the expected 4.4% [4] Stock Market Performance - Wall Street's major indexes closed mixed, with S&P Global (SPGI) dropping over -9% after weaker-than-expected Q4 adjusted EPS [3] - AI-infrastructure stocks like Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate Technology Holdings (STX) also retreated, with declines of over -8% and -6% respectively [3] - Datadog (DDOG) surged more than +13% after reporting stronger-than-expected Q4 results [3] Earnings Reports - Companies in the S&P 500 are expected to post an average +8.4% increase in quarterly earnings for Q4 compared to the previous year [8] - Prominent companies such as Cisco Systems (CSCO), McDonald's (MCD), and T-Mobile US (TMUS) are set to release their quarterly results [8] International Market Trends - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is down -0.34% due to concerns over AI disruption, particularly affecting technology stocks [9] - Italy's December Industrial Production fell -0.4% month-over-month, stronger than expectations of -0.6% [11] - China's consumer inflation eased in January, with food prices declining 0.7% year-over-year [12]

China has too many graduates and not enough jobs for them. But will young people choose a trade over a traditional degree? Listen to “Drum Tower” for more https://t.co/FD8JEVZdfA ...

Looking for a new job? Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to rank America’s Best Midsize Employers. Take a look: https://t.co/rwOXwqR49Q#AmericasBestEmployers https://t.co/6pM4WvdHTp ...