The Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate steady Wednesday and delivered its strongest signal to date that the central bank may have reached the end of its latest series of interest-rate increases. Photo: GettyWASHINGTON—Tested in January by a 35-day government shutdown, market volatility and uncertainty about global growth, the U.S. labor market passed with high marks, notching its 100th straight month of increased employment and sustaining robust wage growth. Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 304,000 in January, the Labor Department said Friday. The gain was well above last year’s average monthly job growth—showing most private-sector businesses shrugged off the shutdown and kept on hiring. Meanwhile, wages rose...

Source: Wall Street Journal February 01, 2019 13:35 UTC