A strong jobs report 'probably not enough' to stabilize markets
As investors await the key February payrolls report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, concern grows over potential surprises that could impact market stability. Citi head of US equity trading strategy Stuart Kaiser joins Catalysts hosts Madison Mills and Seana Smith to discuss these risks and the potential for a market reaction. "We do see [the report] as a pretty significant risk to the markets; options are pricing it that way," Kaiser says. "It's priced as the biggest payrolls event since March of 2023, so basically the biggest payrolls print in about two years." Kaiser notes that a weak jobs report could lead to a sharp market decline. "A good jobs print helps, but it's probably not enough to sort things out," he emphasizes. "If you got a weak print, let's say, below 125,000 jobs ... if the unemployment rate rose, I think you would have a pretty big pullback in US equities in response to that." To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here. This post was written by Josh Lynch