JOLTS Job Openings indicate the number of job vacancies currently available in the U.S. within a specific month.

• It reflects the health of the labor market: the higher the number of opportunities, the greater the demand for hiring, indicating that the economy is growing well.

• Conversely, a significant decrease in the figures often signals weakening labor demand, possibly due to an economic slowdown.

Impact

• This is one of the indicators that the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) is interested in to assess the heat of the labor market.

• If job opportunities are high, the Fed may be concerned about inflationary pressures (due to rising wages), thereby keeping interest rates high for longer → which could put pressure on the stock and crypto markets.

• If job opportunities decrease significantly, the market typically expects the Fed to loosen monetary policy → often supporting stocks and crypto.