Treasury yields traded lower on Friday as investors digested key payroll data that kept the door open for another rate cut from the Federal Reserve later this month.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell less than 3 basis points to 4.153%. Meanwhile, the 2-year Treasury yield declined less than 5 basis points to 4.098%.
One basis point is equal to 0.01% and yields and prices move in opposite directions.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 227,000 for the month, compared with an upwardly revised 36,000 in October and the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 214,000.
The unemployment rate, however, edged higher to 4.2%, as expected. The unemployment rate rose as the labor force participation rate edged lower and the labor force itself declined.
This report could shape the Federal Reserve’s rate decision at its Dec. 17-18 policy meeting. Traders accelerated their bets on a rate cut following the jobs report, with market-implied odds rising above 88% for a quarter-percentage-point reduction.
“The Labor Force Participation Rate unexpectedly dropped to 62.5% vs. 62.6% Oct and 62.7% consensus — making the increase in the unemployment rate all the more notable,” Ian Lyngen, BMO’s head of U.S. rates, said in a note. “Nothing within this release will prevent the FOMC from cutting on December 18th.”
Earlier this week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the central bank will proceed cautiously with rate cuts, given the strong economy.
“The labor market is better, and the downside risks appear to be less in the labor market. Growth is definitely stronger than we thought, and inflation is coming [out] a little higher. So the good news is that we can afford to be a little more cautious as we try to find neutral,” Powell said.
— CNBC’s Jeff Cox and Sawdah Bhaimiya contributed to this story.