Fed mouthpiece: Non-farm payroll report provides ample reason for Fed to hold rates steady this month

 "The latest article by 'Fed spokesman' Nick Timiraos: 'Tonight's December employment report provides ample reason for Federal Reserve officials to maintain a wait-and-see attitude at this month's meeting. Nonfarm payrolls increased by only 50,000, and the three-month average of private sector employment fell to 29,000, marking the second-lowest growth rate of the year. This sluggish pace of job growth highlights the dynamic characteristic of the labor market in 2025: "slow hiring and slow firing." However, the decline in the unemployment rate temporarily alleviates extreme concerns about the deterioration of the labor market. It is this concern that prompted the Fed to cut interest rates in the past three consecutive meetings. The report solidifies market expectations that the Fed will hold steady at the January 27-28 meeting, but the weak hiring data also ensures that debates about the health of the labor market are far from over.'