By Geoffrey Smith
Investing.com -- The U.S. economy added only 49,000 jobs in the month through mid-January, in line with early expectations but well short of the 174,000 reported by private payrolls processor ADP on Wednesday.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised its figures for December to show a net loss of 227,000 jobs, rather than the 140,000 originally reported.
U.S. futures shrugged off the data, Dow Jones Futures losing only 10 points, or less than 0.1%, on the back of the news.
The data come against the backdrop of still-widespread restrictions on businesses, especially in the services sector, as a result of public health measures to stop the spread of Covid-19.