Upside payrolls surprise fuels dollar rally
After slowing sharply over the last year, the US job creation engine showed signs of accelerating last month, frustrating market expectations for a rapid easing cycle from the Federal Reserve, and allaying fears of a dramatic slowdown in consumer spending. According to delayed data just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 130,000 jobs were added in January—topping the 68,000-position consensus forecast—while the unemployment rate slid to a rounded 4.3 percent from 4.4 percent previously. Average hourly earnings climbed 0.4 percent month-over-month, jumping from the 0.1-percent pace set in the prior month, and rising 3.7percent in year-over-year terms. Revisions muddied...