Labour trends and what they mean to the markets

December’s big increase in U.S. jobs initially brought about a negative reaction from the markets, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. After all, a hot jobs report means a strong economy and therefore less pressure on the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. However, once details emerged beyond the headline numbers (meaning weaker data than initially thought), the markets responded positively. Philip explains that, when it comes to jobs data and the markets, the devil is in the details.