Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Jan. 9

02:45 PM EST, 01/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The December employment report was mixed, with payrolls growth slower than expected, the unemployment rate down, and hourly earnings growth faster.

Nonfarm payrolls rose by 50,000 in December after a 56,000 gain in November and a 173,000 decline in October, both revised lower from their previous estimates. Private payrolls rose by 37,000, also below expectations and following a 50,000 gain in November.

Leisure and hospitality jobs rose by 47,000 in December while health care and social assistance jobs rose by 38,500.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.4% from 4.5% in November, with the details showing improvement. The labor force fell by 46,000 and labor force participation declined. Household employment rose by 232,000 while the number of unemployed fell by 278,000.

Average hourly earnings were up 0.3% in December, faster than a 0.2% increase in November, lifting the year-over-year rate to 3.8% from 3.6%.

The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index rose to 54.0 in January from 52.9 in December, above expectations for a smaller increase to 53.5 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Housing starts fell by 4.6% to a 1.246 million annual rate in October, with single-family housing starts higher but multi-family starts lower.

Building permits fell by 0.2% to a 1.412 million rate in October with lower single-family permits the key factor. Homes permitted but not started increased by 1.6%, suggesting starts could improve in the coming months.

The number of homes under construction declined slightly while those completed rose, which should add to supply of homes for sale in the near term.

The Q4 GDPnow estimate from the Atlanta Fed is for a 5.1% gain, revised down from a 5.4% gain in the previous estimate. The next update is expected on Jan. 14.

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