{"id":56195,"date":"2025-11-20T10:08:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T14:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-jobs-report-exceeds-expectations-fed-official-warns-on-rate-cuts-exxonmobil-lifts-mozambique-lng-force-majeure\/56195\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T10:08:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T14:08:22","slug":"us-jobs-report-exceeds-expectations-fed-official-warns-on-rate-cuts-exxonmobil-lifts-mozambique-lng-force-majeure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-jobs-report-exceeds-expectations-fed-official-warns-on-rate-cuts-exxonmobil-lifts-mozambique-lng-force-majeure\/56195\/","title":{"rendered":"US Jobs Report Exceeds Expectations, Fed Official Warns on Rate Cuts; ExxonMobil Lifts Mozambique LNG Force Majeure"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls surged to 119,000 in September<\/strong>, significantly exceeding expectations of 51,000, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4%. This stronger-than-expected jobs growth, despite a slight rise in unemployment, indicates a resilient labor market.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack warned against premature rate cuts<\/strong>, stating they risk prolonging high inflation and encouraging financial market risk-taking, even as financial conditions remain &quot;quite accommodative&quot;. She highlighted elevated leverage in hedge funds and life insurers, with <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/market-trends\/stablecoins\/2025-report\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Stablecoins\">stablecoins<\/a> and private credit meriting close observation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ExxonMobil (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>) has lifted force majeure on its giant Mozambique LNG project<\/strong>, signaling a significant step forward for the multi-billion dollar development after years of delays due to security concerns.<\/li>\n<li><strong>France, Britain, and Germany are seeking to reopen diplomatic channels with Iran<\/strong> regarding its nuclear program, despite recent pushes for renewed UN sanctions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Walmart (<a href=\"\/stock\/WMT\">WMT<\/a>) delivered a strong performance and raised its annual forecasts<\/strong>, expressing confidence for the holiday season and appreciating tariff relief on imported goods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Economic Data and Fed Outlook<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. labor market showed unexpected strength in September, with <strong>Nonfarm Payrolls increasing by 119,000<\/strong>, significantly surpassing the estimated 51,000 and the previous month&#39;s revised figure of 22,000. The unemployment rate, however, saw a slight rise to <strong>4.4%<\/strong> from 4.3%, while average hourly earnings grew by 0.2% month-over-month and 3.8% year-over-year. This data, delayed by a government shutdown, prompted traders to add to bets on Fed rate cuts, though a December cut remains unlikely.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the robust jobs report, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack issued a cautious warning against easing monetary policy. Speaking at the Cleveland Fed&#39;s 2025 Financial Stability Conference, Hammack stated that cutting rates now could <em>risk prolonging high inflation<\/em> and <em>encourage financial market risk-taking<\/em>. She emphasized that financial conditions are currently &quot;quite accommodative&quot;. Hammack also highlighted concerns about elevated leverage in hedge funds and life insurers, and noted that <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/market-trends\/stablecoins\/2025-report\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Stablecoins\">stablecoins<\/a> and private credit merit close watching for potential financial stability risks.<\/p>\n<p>Other economic indicators released today include a U.S. Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook of -1.7 in November, an improvement from the previous -12.8 but below estimates of 1.0. Initial jobless claims for the week ending November 15 came in at 220,000, lower than the estimated 227,000, while continuing claims rose to 1.974 million. In Canada, October&#39;s Industrial Product Price rose 1.5% month-over-month, exceeding the 0.3% estimate.<\/p>\n<h2>Corporate Developments<\/h2>\n<p><strong>ExxonMobil (<a href=\"\/stock\/XOM\">XOM<\/a>)<\/strong> announced it has lifted the force majeure on its massive Mozambique LNG project. This move signals a significant advancement for the multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas development, which had been delayed for years due to security issues in the Cabo Delgado region. The lifting of the force majeure by ExxonMobil follows a similar action by TotalEnergies SE, which is leading a nearby project and also resuming operations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Walmart (<a href=\"\/stock\/WMT\">WMT<\/a>)<\/strong> reported a strong performance, with its CFO stating the holiday season is off to a &quot;pretty good start&quot;. The retail giant also expressed appreciation for relief on tariffs for goods not grown in the United States. Walmart raised its annual forecasts for the second time this year, driven by robust online sales, and announced plans to move its stock listing to Nasdaq from the New York Stock Exchange in December.<\/p>\n<h2>Geopolitical and International Relations<\/h2>\n<p>The French Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that <strong>France, Britain, and Germany are seeking to reopen diplomatic channels<\/strong> concerning Iran&#39;s nuclear program. This initiative comes despite a recent push by these European powers to reinstate United Nations sanctions against Iran, indicating a desire to maintain dialogue amidst ongoing tensions over the contested program. Meanwhile, a German government official noted that it is <em>open whether there will be a G20 final communiqu\u00e9<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls surged to 119,000 in September, significantly exceeding expectations of 51,000, while the unemployment rate ticked 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