By Geoffrey Smith
Investing.com -- Hiring in the U.S. economy accelerated sharply in February, reviving hopes of a rapid recovery from the winter wave of layoffs due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 379,000 through the middle of the month, almost double the 182,000 consensus forecast. The number for January was also revised sharply by higher by over 100,000 to 166,000.
The figures are likely to reinforce concerns that the Federal Reserve will start to withdraw monetary stimulus from the economy sooner than originally planned.