The Federal Reserve will receive more insight into the labor market this morning when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its last chunk of unemployment data for 2025.
Though the agency said earlier this week that the number of job openings hit a 14-month low in November, there are signs the hotly anticipated new numbers could be more positive: The payroll company ADP estimated that companies added 41,000 jobs in December in a reversal from November’s decline (but still below expectations).
Meanwhile, the hunt for President Donald Trump’s next Fed chair continues: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that there are still four candidates for the job, one of whom — BlackRock’s Rick Rieder — has yet to be interviewed. He predicted that the president would decide “right before” or “right after” attending the World Economic Forum in Davos at the end of the month.