News > Strong jobs report doesn’t resolve Fed debate on next rate rise

Strong jobs report doesn’t resolve Fed debate on next rate rise

Friday’s employment report does little to clarify how much the Atlanta Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its next policy meeting. The Fed increased its benchmark short-term rate aggressively last year, including by unanimously approving a 0.5-percentage-point increase last month. Fed officials have kept their options open for their Jan 31-Feb 1 meeting by declining so far to spell out what might lead them to approve another half-point rate rise or to step down to a more traditional 0.25-point increase.