US economy adds 172,000 jobs in May as Fed holds rates at 3.5%-3.75%

The blowout jobs report more than doubled expectations, reshaping market bets on rate hikes and putting pressure on risk assets including crypto.

Share

Add us on Google by Editorial Team Jun. 7, 2026

The US labor market just did something Wall Street didn’t see coming. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on June 5 that the economy added 172,000 jobs in May, roughly double what economists had penciled in.

Pre-report expectations sat in the range of 80,000 to 88,000 new jobs. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate steady at 3.5%-3.75%, and this jobs print makes it abundantly clear why the central bank isn’t in any hurry to cut.

Where the jobs landed

The hiring wasn’t spread evenly across the economy. Leisure and hospitality, think restaurants, bars, and hotels, accounted for a significant chunk of the gains. Local government and healthcare also pulled considerable weight.

Advertisement

The unemployment rate held flat at 4.3%, unchanged from recent months. Revisions to March and April data also painted a stronger picture than initially reported, suggesting the labor market has been more resilient than the headline numbers previously indicated.

Rate hike whispers are getting louder

The stronger-than-expected data has shifted market expectations meaningfully. Traders are now pricing in a higher probability of the Fed actually raising rates later this year, rather than cutting them.

Persistent inflation concerns, driven partly by rising energy costs and geopolitical tensions related to Iran, have kept the central bank in a cautious posture. This jobs report hands them another data point to justify staying put, or potentially going higher.

The Fed’s rate-setting committee has repeatedly emphasized that it needs to see sustained cooling in both inflation and the labor market before considering any easing. A 172,000-job month that doubles expectations is, to put it mildly, not that.

What this means for crypto and risk assets

A stronger dollar, which tends to follow expectations of higher rates, typically correlates with reduced appetite for volatile assets. When Treasury yields look more attractive and the dollar strengthens, capital flows toward safety, not toward assets that can swing 10% in a week.

Sustained labor market strength means consumer spending remains elevated, which feeds back into inflation. That feedback loop makes the Fed’s job harder and extends the period of restrictive policy.

Any portfolio with significant crypto exposure should account for the possibility that this macro environment persists well into 2027, not just through the back half of 2026.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.