US bonds rally after weaker-than-expected jobs report shows hiring slowdown – business live

Fri 2 Oct 2026 09.31 EDT First published on Fri 2 Oct 2026 02.38 EDT

US workers’ average earnings growth has also slowed, which is not good news for Donald Trump ahead of next month’s midterm elections.

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Today’s jobs repot shows that in September, average hourly earnings were 3.0% higher than a year ago, down from 3.1% in August.

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“Today’s ice-cold report shows the jobs market may not be as healthy as previous data might have suggested. Wage growth is more anaemic than expected at 3%, while payrolls came in well below expectations at 28,000, with August also revised down.

This is a fly in the ointment for the Fed: it’s forcing the central bank to choose between two evils. Hike again, and you risk tipping the scale on unemployment at a time when Americans are already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Hold, and inflation could get out of control.

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