5 things to watch for in Friday's monthly US jobs report
WASHINGTON (AP) — Economists are generally bullish in their outlooks for 2018: Most expect the new U.S. tax cuts, a sturdier global economy and a healthy job market to support consumer and business spending and a steady if modest pace of hiring.
On Friday, the government's jobs report for January will provide an early look at whether that bright outlook is starting to come into view. Analysts have forecast that employers added a solid 175,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate remained a low 4.1 percent for a fourth straight month, according to data provider FactSet.
Most other recent economic data have been encouraging.