U.S. employers added a greater-than-expected 236,000 workers to their payrolls in February and the jobless rate fell to a four-year low, offering a bright signal on the economy's health, Reuters reported. The data from the Labor Department on Friday showed the economy gaining traction despite the blow from higher taxes and deep government spending cuts. The jobless rate fell to 7.7 percent, the lowest since December 2008, from 7.9 percent in January. The drop reflected both gains in employment and people leaving the labor force. The upbeat report, which showed broad-based job gains, was another sign of the economy's fundamental health, and it added fuel to a rally in U.S. stock markets that had already propelled the Dow Jones industrial average to record highs. At the same time, the dollar strengthened and the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose sharply. While payrolls growth beat economists' expectations for 160,000 jobs, it was not seen as a game changer for the Federal Reserve in its efforts to foster even faster economic growth by buying bonds, a policy known as quantitative easing. -- SPA 19:56 LOCAL TIME 16:56 GMT تغريد
