U.S. retail sales increased in December as households bought motor vehicles and a range of other goods, pointing to strong demand in the economy and further reinforcing the Federal Reserve's cautious approach to cutting interest rates this year.

U.S. job growth unexpectedly accelerated in December while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% as the labor market ended the year on a solid footing, reinforcing views that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged this month.

A Labor Department report showed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.9 per cent on an annual basis in December 2024, the highest since last July

The U.S. labor market added 256,000 jobs in December, a strong showing at the end of 2024, as the labor market revved up toward the end of the year. The unemployment rate also improved, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,

Openings rose to 8.1 million in November, the most since February and up from 7.8 million in October, the Labor Department reported Tuesday ... growing to 227,000. The Federal Reserve closely monitors the labor market for clues about where inflation ...

Health care added 46,100 jobs in December, with gains focused in home health care services (+15,200), nursing and residential care facilities (+14,000) and hospitals (+11,500). Health care added an average of 57,000 jobs per month in 2024, the same as the monthly average in 2023.