U.S. unemployment rate rose a tick to 3.9%, its highest since January 2022

The unemployment rate rose a tick to 3.9%, its highest since January 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said․ Hourly earnings only rose 0.2%, the smallest increase since February 2022.

U.S. employers added 150,000 jobs in October, the lowest since June and slightly over half the 297,000 added in September. It was also fewer than the 170,000 expected according to a poll of forecasters by Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal. What’s more, the bureau downwardly revised reports from August and July, reducing those job gains by a total of 101,000.

Stocks rose and bond yields fell on Friday morning in response to the latest jobs numbers, as market participants are hopeful that the Fed may not have to tighten monetary policy further.