A wobbling U.S. jobs market was the Federal Reserve’s biggest worry last fall. Now the focus appears to have shifted back to stubborn inflation. Investors will get twin reports this week on employment and consumer prices that will help set the stage for when the Fed cuts interest rates this year — if it reduces them at all. The central bank cut a key U.S. interest rate three times toward the end of 2025 in response to rising unemployment and a big slowdown in hiring. The Fed wanted to make sure the labor market didn’t get any worse. Missioned accomplished? Hiring partly recovered in the final two months of 2025 after ... (full story)