Dip-buying remained absent in early Friday trading in New York, with Wall Street deep in the red as global trade war fears continued to escalate, despite the March jobs report showed continued signs of U.S. labor market resilience.
The U.S. economy added 228,000 jobs in March—the strongest gain since December 2024—sharply beating expectations of 135,000, according to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Still, the report did little to calm nerves. Investors fear it may be the last strong print for a while, with the economic impact of rising tariffs expected to seep into the data in the coming months.
The unemployment rate ticked up just 0.1 percentage points to 4.2%, remaining low by historical standards, while wage growth broadly aligned with forecasts. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% month-over-month and 3.8% year-over-year.
Wall Street remained deep in the red after China announced a retaliatory 34% tariff on U.S. goods—matching the rate imposed …