Economists expect slightly slower, but still strong job growth in January, while the impact of corporate layoff announcements is unclear. According to Dow Jones, the consensus forecast calls for 187,000 new nonfarm jobs in January, down from 223,000 that were created in December. The employment report will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday. The unemployment rate is expected to edge higher, to 3.6% from 3.5%. Average monthly wage growth is expected to have stayed at about 0.3% in January, while declining on an annual basis, to 4.3% from 4.6%. Across major technology companies, including Alphabet and Facebook, there ... (full story)