The United States released major data that exceeded all economists' expectations, causing the dollar to surge straight up.

GateUser-bd883c58 · 2026-04-04T02:04:30+00:00

In March, the US non-farm payrolls increased by 178k, and the unemployment rate slightly decreased to 4.3%, exceeding expectations and indicating a strong labor market. This may lead the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged and delay rate cuts. The US dollar index rose, and US stock futures generally declined.

GateUser-bd883c58

2026-04-04 02:04:30

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Ask AI · Will a strong U.S. labor market delay Federal Reserve rate cuts?

On the evening of April 3, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. added 178k nonfarm jobs in March, compared with expectations for an increase of 65k and a prior figure of a decrease of 92k. This was the largest gain since the end of 2024. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.3%, versus market expectations of staying unchanged from 4.4% last month. This outcome came in above every economist’s forecast.

Xinhua Finance analysis said that with no obvious downturn in the labor market, the Federal Reserve has been able to focus on reducing inflation, which likely means that interest rates will remain unchanged for a longer period of time.

After the nonfarm data was released, market bets on the Fed cutting rates in 2026 decreased. The U.S. dollar index surged straight up, at one point spiking to 100.16.

U.S. stock index futures fell across the board: S&P 500 index futures ultimately dropped 0.29%, Dow Jones index futures fell 0.23%, and Nasdaq 100 index futures declined 0.37%.

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