The New York Stock Exchange is set to open lower on Friday morning, following the announcement of a rebound in job creation in December, which is dampening hopes of a forthcoming Fed rate cut.

Half an hour before the opening, futures on the main New York indices were down by around 0.3%, heralding a session start in the red.

The hypothesis that the Federal Reserve might refrain from cutting rates in March was reinforced this morning with the publication of the latest US employment figures.

The latest sign of healthy activity, the US economy created 216,000 non-farm jobs last month, according to the Labor Department, against consensus expectations of just 150,000.

Following this statistic, the proportion of traders betting on a 25 basis point rate hike on March 20 fell to 53%, from 96% at the start of the week, according to FedWatch.

The strength of the labor market could in fact prompt the US central bank to postpone the easing of its monetary policy.

On the markets, the yield on 10-year Treasuries broke through the 4% barrier after the statistic, gaining more than six basis points to over 4.05%.

The dollar also strengthened, pushing the euro back down to 1.0930.

On the oil market, the price of US light crude rose by 1.8% to $73.5, still supported by geopolitical factors.

For the week as a whole, US equity markets are trending lower, reflecting investors' uncertainties regarding the Fed's rate-cutting timetable.

The ISM services index and industrial orders will be released shortly after the opening, providing further information on the health of the economy.

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