The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago released estimated data on Tuesday that the US unemployment rate in December was 4.6%, which is the same as the official unemployment rate announced in November. Economists say the official unemployment rate for November may have deviated due to technical factors related to the government shutdown. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the official unemployment rate data for December on January 9. Economists expect this figure to fall slightly back to 4.5%. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve decided to lower policy interest rates in view of most officials believing that the labor market is weakening. At the same time, it sent a signal that further interest rate cuts may be suspended next year to wait for more economic data to be released. The decision was highly controversial and sparked opposition from three officials. The minutes of this interest rate meeting will be published later on Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago released estimated data on Tuesday that the US unemployment rate in December was 4.6%, which is the same as the official unemployment rate announced in November. Economists say the official unemployment rate for November may have deviated due to technical factors related to the government shutdown. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the official unemployment rate data for December on January 9. Economists expect this figure to fall slightly back to 4.5%. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve decided to lower policy interest rates in view of most officials believing that the labor market is weakening. At the same time, it sent a signal that further interest rate cuts may be suspended next year to wait for more economic data to be released. The decision was highly controversial and sparked opposition from three officials. The minutes of this interest rate meeting will be published later on Tuesday.