U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls For Jan In Today

 | Feb 02, 2018 03:08AM ET

Today is Nonfarm Payrolls day in the US. This data release is generally one of the most important of the month, being a leading indicator of consumer spending and economic health, made public shortly after it is calculated. It charts the change in the number of employed during the previous month. Also released at the same time will be the Unemployment Rate, which has dropped below the 2007 low during H1 2017. The continued fall has put further pressure on the Fed to normalize Interest Rates. Markets also focus on Average Hourly Earnings which is an indicator of labor inflation. Faster wage growth can lead to an increase in the pace of Fed hikes. There have been minimum wage increases in a number of states which could boost earning for January.