A week that has been chock-full of economic data will be capped off Friday with the first US jobs report of 2023. Economists estimate that 185,000 positions were likely added in January, according to Refinitiv. That would be a considerable drop from the 504,000 jobs added in January 2022 and the 520,000 added in January 2021. It also would nearly match the 183,000 monthly average between 2010 and 2019, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. And yet, while the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes have helped make a dent in inflation and resulted in slower economic activity without stark rises in unemployment, the ... (full story)