Solid strength in the U.S. employment market continued in February, though the unemployment rate ticked higher.
Nonfarm payrolls rose 151,000 last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday morning. Economist forecasts had been for a gain of 160,000. January payroll growth was revised lower to 125,000 versus an originally reported 143,000.
The February unemployment rate was 4.1% against forecasts for 4.0% and January’s 4.0%.
Seeing major price swings (mostly to the downside) for the last couple of weeks for any number of reasons — tariff threats, stock market plunges, and the idea of a U.S. strategic reserve (no longer a rumor) — bitcoin (BTC) spiked above $90,000 in the minutes following the report, and wallowed around the round-number level. The S&P 500 was also ticked a bit higher pre-market, while the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield dropped 3 basis points to 4.24%. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) dipped to its weakest…
