When the December jobs report hits Friday morning, markets will be looking for a number that hits a sweet spot between not so robust as to trigger more interest rate hikes but not so slow as to raise worries about the economy. In market jargon, that quest for the middle is sometimes referred to as a “Goldilocks” number (not too hot; not too cold) that can be difficult to find. But in this case, the good news is that the range looks to be pretty wide with a higher probability of good news than bad. While the Dow Jones estimate is for a nonfarm payrolls gain of 170,000, Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley ... (full story)