Washington. U.S. service sector activity accelerated in December, but the rise in an index of prices paid for inputs, which is approaching its highest level in two years, pointed to high inflation, in line with the Federal Reserve’s forecast. to reduce interest rate cuts this year. The Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 54.1 last month from 52.1 in November, amid strong demand.
Job openings in the United States unexpectedly rose in November, but the decline in hiring points to a slowdown in the labor market.
Employment options, an indicator of labor demand, increased by 259 thousand positions to reach 8 million 98 on the last day of November, reported the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor in its Survey of Job Offers and Turnover Labor, or JOLTS.