The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has published the labor market report for August. The number of non-farm payroll jobs increased by 162,000, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%. The labor force participation rate rose to 61.6%.
Average hourly earnings increased by 0.3% for the month and by 3.1% year-over-year. In addition, the BLS revised the data for June and July upward, with a combined increase of 55,000 jobs.
Interest Rate Expectations Have Hardly Changed
After the initial reaction to the report, the probability of a 25 basis point rate hike consolidated around 58% and has not changed significantly over the weekend, according to CME FedWatch. Thus, the market maintains a slight bias in favor of a rate hike, but such an outcome cannot yet be considered predetermined.
The current target rate range is 3.5-3.75%. At the July meeting, the Fed left it unchanged, with three FOMC members already advocating for an increase at that time. The regulator's next meeting will take place on September 15-16, with the decision to be announced on September 16.
What Are the Fed and Market Participants Saying?
Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, speaking at the Jackson Hole Symposium, stated that the US labor market is consistent with a state of full employment, while the inflation situation is of greater concern.
According to him, the regulator's primary focus should now be on price stability. At the same time, Warsh emphasized that he is not committing to any specific decision on the interest rate.
Following the publication of the data, trader John Zidar noted on X that the strong employment report strengthened the arguments of the "hawks," but the final outcome could be altered by a new inflation report.
A similar dependency was outlined earlier by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller. He stated that he is leaning towards maintaining the current rate if inflation continues to slow, but is prepared to consider a hike if the August data shows a renewed increase in prices.
Thus, the employment report confirmed the resilience of the labor market but did not make a September rate hike an unambiguous scenario. Until the meeting, inflation data will remain the key factor for the Fed.
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