Jobs Report: Unemployment Rate to Take Center Stage

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics is due to release the December jobs report on Friday morning. Here is what economists tracked by FactSet are expecting:

Payrolls: +55,000, lower than November’s preliminary estimate of 64,000

Unemployment rate: 4.5%, lower than November’s rate of 4.6%

The Fed angle: Policymakers will be watching Friday’s report closely for signs of further weakening that could warrant more rate cuts.