Fall in US unemployment rate boosts dollar
The US economy generated fewer jobs than anticipated, but the unemployment rate declined last month, giving the Federal Reserve room to slow the pace of monetary easing over the course of 2026. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50,000 jobs were added in December, undershooting a consensus forecast set around the 70,000 mark, and the previous two months were revised down by 76,000 positions. On a full-year basis, the economy added an average 48,600 jobs per month, marking the worst performance outside the early-aughts dot-com collapse or a recession in the last 25 years. The unemployment rate—arguably the most...