Friday’s jobs report will deliver key insights into the U.S. economy. The consensus on the unemployment rate is that it will remain unchanged from last month, hovering at 3.6%. “One of the key data points that will determine whether we get a recession sometime next year is whether job growth continues,” says Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial Network. “If we get a drastic number—like below 100,000 jobs, that might prompt a larger market reaction,” Freeman says, pointing out that consumer spending and holiday sales numbers remain positive, which should reassure Wall Street investors. Factor in the returning GM workers (since they aren’t new jobs) and the jobs numbers don’t look “nearly as good,” McMillan points out.

Source: Forbes December 05, 2019 23:03 UTC