U.S. Treasury yields rose Friday, with the 10-year nearing a 16-year high after the latest jobs data came in stronger than economists anticipated.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury was up by 9 basis points at 4.809%. It had hit a fresh 16-year high earlier in the week, rising as high as 4.884%. The yield on the 2-year Treasury was last trading at 5.079% after rising by 5 basis points.
Yields and prices have an inverted relationship. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 336,000 in September, while economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected 170,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate was 3.8%, slightly higher than the 3.7% consensus estimate.
Wages grew modestly less than economists forecasted. Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% on the month and 4.2% on an annualized basis, while economists expected gains of 0.3% month over month and 4.3% year over year.
Additionally, August and July nonfarm payrolls were revised upward by a combined 119,000 jobs, far more than previously reported.
Friday’s report comes as central bank policymakers assess where Federal Reserve rates will go from here.
There have been mixed messages from policymakers about whether rates will need to go higher still to ease the economy, including the labor market, and cool inflation. However, Fed officials appear to widely expect rates to stay higher for longer.
“Overall, it was a stronger-than-expected print without question — moderating wage growth is good news for the Fed but nothing that will prevent them from hiking in November,” wrote Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rates strategy at BMO Capital Markets, in a note. “This print improves the odds of a November 1 quarter-point move.”
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