In a significant surge for the U.S. labor market, January 2026 saw the addition of 130,000 jobs, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure far exceeded economists’ predictions, which anticipated an increase of only 70,000 jobs following a modest growth of 48,000 in December. Concurrently, the unemployment rate improved, dropping to 4.3%, contrasting with the expected rate of 4.4% and matching December’s figures.
In the financial markets, bitcoin exhibited notable activity in the lead-up to the jobs report. Trading within a narrow range around $69,000 for much of the week, the cryptocurrency dipped to approximately $66,944.44 shortly before the news. However, following the positive employment data, bitcoin rallied to $67,500, even though it recorded a 2% decline over the previous 24 hours.
U.S. stock index futures reacted positively to the jobs report, with the Nasdaq 100 rising by 0.55% and the S&P 500 gaining 0.5%. Meanwhile, the dollar, which had initially shown weakness earlier in the session, regained strength, and the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note increased by five basis points to reach 4.20%.
The Federal Reserve, which had implemented a series of rate cuts in the latter half of 2025, maintained its current monetary policy during its January meeting, showing little interest in further easing during the next scheduled meeting in March. Prior to the release of the job figures, financial markets indicated only a 21% probability of a rate cut in March; however, this likelihood declined to 19% following the stronger-than-expected jobs report.
