Key Takeaways The odds of the Federal Reserve cutting its benchmark interest rate this year fell after a jobs report Friday showed hiring in December blew past expectations.Strong job growth means less pressure on the Fed to cut interest rates to save the economy and prevent layoffs.

Before the strong December jobs report was released, the odds were already low for an interest rate cut in the next Federal Reserve decision on January 29.

The Federal Reserve has been "less focused on the job market recently," and today’s better-than-expected employment report "gives them more reason to put their attention elsewhere," said Ali Jaffery,

Minutes suggest that Fed policymakers were already returning to the data-dependent mindset in the face of the incoming Trump administration. Now investors can only wait and hope.

Investors are now pricing in just one interest-rate cut from the Federal Reserve this year. Investors expect the central bank's federal-funds rate to end the year just above 4%, according to LSEG data based on market pricing.

US job growth surged in December, surpassing expectations. The services sector drove gains, but wage growth slightly slowed. Click for more on the December jobs report.

Welcome to TOPLive’s blog coverage of the US employment report for December. As we contemplate the year ahead — and the return of Donald Trump to the White House — we’ll take a final look at the 2024 job market. Join us at 8:15 a.m. New York time, 15 minutes before the numbers come out, for news, analysis and market reaction.

Soaring payroll growth and low unemployment in December are more than likely to keep the Federal Reserve from cutti

Friday’s unexpectedly big increase in December nonfarm payrolls led to a diminished market-based likelihood for any rate cut by the Federal Reserve until September, based on one method of calculating expectations — and one big bank sees the risks tilting toward a rate hike.

Canada's economy added nearly four times the number of jobs forecasted for December and reached its highest number in almost two years, shrinking bets for a rate cut later this month though one is still expected by the majority of economists.