Marketmind: China surprise lifts mood before US payrolls
It's Friday - and the start of a new month - and much-anticipated U.S. nonfarm payrolls finally drop along with a barrage of manufacturing data, to close out a week of mixed economic reports that included an upside surprise from China. With the U.S. labour market still tight, the Federal Reserve is looking for more indications of cooling, although not too cool as the central bank tries to achieve a soft landing. Markets have priced in only a one-in-ten chance of a rate hike at the Fed's next meeting in September, but remain uncertain about the rest of the year.