US Nonfarm Payrolls Forecast: NFP September report set to show broadly stable labor market

• US Nonfarm Payrolls are set to rise by 170K in September, down from the 187K reported in July.
• US Dollar braces for a volatility spike on headline NFP and Average Hourly Earnings data.
• The Unemployment Rate in the United States is seen modestly lower at 3.7% in September.

Expectations of a final interest-rate hike by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) this quarter were reinforced after US job openings unexpectedly rose by the most in over two years to 9.610 million in August. The JOLTS Job Openings data pointed to a persistently tight labor market in the United States that could provide the Fed some leeway for more tightening.

Following the September policy meeting, several Fed policymakers have supported the narrative of the ‘higher rates for longer’, as the US economy showed encouraging signs of resilience. 

The US Dollar Index capitalized on the hawkish Fed rhetoric and hit an 11-month peak above 107.00 while the US Treasury bond yields challenged 16-year highs. 

However, odds of a Fed rate hike in November dropped to 23% from about 31%, after downbeat US labor market data released on Wednesday, triggering a long-due correction in the US Dollar and the US Treasury bond yields. 

The latest Automatic Data Processing (ADP) report showed that the US private sector added just 89,000 in September, down from an upwardly revised 180,000 in August and far below the 153,000 estimate. US Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services PMI fell from 54.5 to 53.6 in September, although it matched expectations. 

What to expect in the next Nonfarm Payrolls report?

Friday's Nonfarm Payrolls data for September should help clarify if the labor market is still tight, especially after a strong JOLTS report and softer private payrolls data, compelling the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.

The Nonfarm Payrolls data is likely to show that the US economy added 170K jobs last month as against a job gain of 187K jobs in August. The Unemployment Rate is seen a tad lower at 3.7% in the reported period.

Average Hourly Earnings will also garner attention. The measure of wage inflation tends to have a significant impact on the Fed’s monetary policy decision-making. Average Hourly Earnings are seen rising 4.3% on a yearly basis in September, at the same pace as seen in August. On a monthly basis, Average Hourly Earnings are expected to edge 0.3% higher in September when compared to a 0.2% increase in August.

Analysts at TD Securities noted, “in terms of payrolls, we are looking for an above-market rebound to 210k above market expectations of 165k. Friday's report will follow three consecutive prints under the 200k mark. We are also expecting the unemployment rate to stay unchanged at 3.8%.”

When will US September Nonfarm Payrolls data be released and how could it affect EUR/USD?

The Nonfarm Payrolls indicator, part of the US labor market report, will be published at 12:30 GMT on Friday. EUR/USD is attempting a tepid recovery from a ten-month low of 1.0448 set on Tuesday, as the monetary policy and macroeconomic divergences between the Fed and the European Central Bank (ECB) widen.

An upbeat NFP headline print and hot wage inflation data would strengthen market wagers for one more Fed rate hike by year-end, providing an extra leg to the ongoing upsurge in the US Dollar. EUR/USD could test levels below 1.0400.

On the other hand, the US Dollar could see a sharp correction if the data points to loosening labor market conditions and smashes hopes for any further rate hike by the Fed this year. In such a case, EUR/USD could stage a solid recovery toward 1.0650.

Dhwani Mehta, Asian Session Lead Analyst at FXStreet, offers a brief technical outlook for the EUR/USD pair and explains: “The main currency pair has moved away from multi-month troughs but the bearish potential remains intact, as the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) continues to hover below the midline. Failure to find acceptance above the 1.0600 round level on its road to recovery will trigger a fresh downswing toward the 1.0448 YTD low. Deeper declines will then target the 1.0400 round figure.”

“On the flip side, if the 1.0600 static resistance is taken out, Euro buyers will challenge the downward-sloping 21-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 1.0616. The next relevant upside barrier is envisioned near 1.0670, where the September 21 and 22 highs align,” Dhwani adds.