About this episode Cut through the noise with 'The 10 Headlines That Matter Most,' your essential daily briefing on consequential US news. This podcast delivers the top stories you need to understand, presented by a veteran correspondent who gets straight to the point. Tune in to gain a clear, concise grasp of the day's most important national developments, empowering you with the knowledge to stay truly informed.
0:00 traders now see a three in five chance of an interest rate hike when the federal reserve meets in mid september in yesterday's briefing we talked about the essential stories moving america today one single report has completely redrawn that map the august jobs report released yesterday came in hotter than anyone expected and because of that the odds of0:22 the fed making it more expensive for you to borrow money just jumped dramatically this isn't a forecast anymore it's the new reality being priced into every stock bond and mortgage rate right now here's what happened the bureau of labor statistics reported the us economy added 162,000 jobs last month on its own that number sounds good more jobs0:44 more growth but for the federal reserve it's a flashing yellow light the fed has been trying to cool down the economy for over a year to fight inflation their main tool is raising interest rates higher rates make borrowing money for a house a car or a business expansion more expensive that slows down spending which in theory brings1:04 prices back under control for months the data suggested this plan was working inflation was ticking down the job market was softening but not collapsing it looked like the fed was engineering the perfect soft landing but this report changes the narrative 162,000 new jobs is a sign of resilience a sign of strength it tells the fed that the1:26 economy isn't cooling down as fast as they thought it suggests that consumers will keep spending and that could keep inflation stubbornly high so the market's reaction was immediate and brutal that three in five probability of a rate hike before this report it was closer to a coin flip the jump represents billions of dollars shifting in a matter1:47 of hours investors are now bracing for what they had hoped to avoid another turn of the screw from the central bank now here's the turn not everyone is convinced this single report will force the fed's hand there's a debate raging on trading floors and inside investment firms this very minute one analyst jack bowman put it bluntly he2:09 doesn't believe this report will be enough to move the federal reserve from its path the argument goes like this one month of data is not a trend the fed looks at a whole dashboard of indicators not just the headline jobs number they'll look at wage growth they'll look at jobless claims over several weeks they'll look at the2:27 core inflation metrics that strip out volatile food and energy prices the dissenters believe that the broader trend is still one of disinflation of cooling prices and that the fed will look through this one strong report and hold rates steady they argue the market is overreacting panicking but here's the problem with that logic the fed is famously data2:51 dependent and this is the last major jobs report they will see before their mid september meeting it's the most powerful piece of new information they have to ignore it would be to ignore their own stated policy it would risk their credibility if they signal they are serious about fighting inflation and then a key inflation risk factor flashes3:12 red they almost have to act this is the bind they're in their dual mandate is maximum employment and stable prices the jobs report suggests they're succeeding on the first count but it simultaneously threatens the second it forces them to choose do they risk tipping a strong labor market into a recession to be absolutely sure inflation is dead3:35 or do they risk letting inflation reignite by pausing too soon3:40 there is no easy answer what this means for you is that the cost of money is now the biggest question in the entire economy the era of cheap debt is definitively over but we still don't know where the new ceiling is the next two weeks will be defined by this tension every piece of data will be scrutinized4:02 every speech by a fed official will be parsed for clues the market spent most of this year betting on a pivot a moment when the fed would finally signal that rate cuts were on the horizon yesterday's jobs report wasn't a pivot it was a reality check it told wall street that the fight the fed is waging isn't4:21 over and the final decisive battles are likely still to come
