The USD/NOK currency pair rebounded from a 3 1/2-year low of 9.4439 on Thursday, as stronger-than-expected US labor data prompted investors to pare back expectations of near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts.
The US economy added 130,000 jobs in January, a figure that topped expectations of 70,000, following a revised 48,000 job growth in December.
And, the US unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in January from 4.4%.
As a result, markets are now pricing in a 95% chance that the Fed will hold rates steady in March, compared to an 80% chance before data release.
Federal Reserve officials have urged caution on rate cuts. Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said the labor market is moving toward balance. She stressed the need to bring inflation back to the 2% target. Moreover, she noted that policy sits near neutral and supports keeping rates steady.
Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid warned against cutting rates too quickly. He argued that further easing could allow inflation to stay high for longer.
Yet, investors still expect two 25 basis point rate cuts later this year, with the first likely in June.
Markets now turn to US inflation figures, due out on Friday, which could provide clearer signals about the Fed’s next policy move.
Meanwhile, in Norway, annual CPI inflation has picked up to 3.6% in January, the latest data showed, from 3.2% in December. It has been the highest inflation rate since September 2025.
Market estimate had pointed to an easing to 3.1%.
And, Norway’s annual inflation adjusted for tax changes and excluding energy products (CPI-ATE) has accelerated to 3.4% in January from 3.1% in December.
Inflation has remained well above Norges Bank’s target, which suggests a restrictive monetary policy is still necessary.
The USD/NOK currency pair was last up 0.18% on the day to trade at 9.4868.
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