US interest rate rise almost certain after bumper jobs growth

President Trump quickly claims credit for 235,000 jobs created last month as pressure on Federal Reserve grows to order first of three predicted rises

The US Federal Reserve is poised to raise interest rates next week for only the third time since the financial crisis after the latest job numbers for the world's largest economy beat expectations.

The closely watched Labor department data for February showed that the number of new jobs soared to 235,000, the best month for job growth since July last year, adding to pressure on the central bank to agree the first of three predicted rises this year.

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