The 10-year Treasury yield remains unchanged as investors process the jobs data.

The 10-year Treasury yield remains unchanged as investors process the jobs data.
The 10-year Treasury yield remains unchanged as investors process the jobs data.

The latest jobs data and Federal Reserve officials' comments did not significantly affect Treasury yields on Friday.

The U.S. jobs market is showing strength as weekly jobless claims reached their lowest level since September 2022, surprising economists on Thursday.

The yield on the note was marginally lower at 4.14%, but it was up 4 basis points at 4.397%.

Despite public opinion surveys indicating concern about the country's direction, the University of Michigan's Consumer Survey of Consumers recorded a reading of 78.8 for January, its highest level since July 2021 and a 21.4% increase from the previous year. This was followed by a significant increase in December.

Prices and yields move in opposite directions, with one basis point equal to 0.01%.

The latest economic data for the U.S. was the Thursday jobs report, which was followed by strong retail sales for December and an increase in yields on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller stated that the central bank may cut interest rates, but should do so carefully and methodically.

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic stated on Thursday that he anticipates rate reductions to occur in the third quarter.

Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note early Friday that the robust data meant that investors continued to dial back the prospect of a Q1 rate cut. The probability of a Fed cut by the March meeting has decreased to 55% overnight, its lowest since the Fed's last meeting in December.

Atlanta Fed President Bostic, a voter on the FOMC this year, stated that his outlook is for the first rate cut to occur in the third quarter, which differs from market pricing that is fully pricing in a cut by the May meeting.

— CNBC’s Jeff Cox contributed to this report.

The 10-year Treasury yield was incorrectly reported in a previous headline.

by Hakyung Kim

markets