US job growth strengthened significantly in the first month of 2026.
130,000 jobs were added in January, according to a Wednesday report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists’ forecasts had been for 70,000 added jobs, up from job growth of 48,000 in December.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, compared to forecasts of 4.4% and December’s 4.4%.
Trading in a tight range near $69,000 for most of the week, bitcoin had dipped back into the $67,000 area in the hours prior to the report. Immediately following the strong data, bitcoin rose to $67,500, though still down 2% over the past 24 hours.
U.S. stock index futures continue with modest gains, with the Nasdaq 100 up 0.55% and the S&P 500 up 0.5%. Lower earlier, the dollar is now higher on the session and the 10-year US Treasury yield is up five basis points to 4.20%.
After cutting interest rates several times in the second half of 2025, the Federal Reserve kept policy steady at its January meeting, and members showed little inclination to resume rate cuts at the bank’s next meeting in March.
Ahead of this morning’s jobs numbers, interest rate traders were placing just a 21% chance of an easing in March, according to CME FedWatch. Right after the report, those chances had dropped to 19%.
