US stock markets have opened lower after data on job creation showed 33,000 fewer employees on payroll for the month of September – the first loss since 2010. This comes after recent hurricanes caused severe disruption to parts of the country which is thought to have hurt smaller retailers and businesses in particular, but follows an average of 91,000 jobs being created in the three previous months. Offsetting the news that job creation had contracted, other figures also showed an uptick in wage growth, up year-on-year from 2.7% to 2.9% and well past expectations of 2.5%. The rise in wage growth has now increased market confidence that the Federal Reserve will press ahead with a rate hike at its next meeting, with over 90% of those surveyed now expecting a hike. The US dollar initially spiked on the jobs data, though has since fallen flat again, while US government debt remains under pressure, with yields up on the day.
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US price inflation falls short in September
US price inflation falls short in September