Jobs Report Boosts Odds of Fed Interest-Rate Increase in June
Bloomberg - Feb 06, 2015
The odds of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase as early as June rose after a government report showed payroll gains in January capped the biggest three month increase in 17 years.
The probability of a Fed liftoff by June, based on trading in futures and options, rose to 27.6 percent on Friday, from 17.6 percent the day before, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The odds of an increase by September were 59.1 percent, up from 44.5 percent.
The jump came after the Labor Department reported non-farm payrolls increased by 257,000 jobs in January, and average hourly earnings climbed by the most since November 2008.
“If average hourly earnings pick up again in February, in that case a June hike really is on the table,†said Guy Berger, an economist at RBS Securities Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut.
