Wall Street was bracing for another disappointing jobs report.
Instead, the August numbers delivered a stunning surprise that sent economists scrambling to explain how they got it so wrong.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, dramatically surpassing the roughly 53,000 jobs economists had predicted. The result was more than three times the consensus estimate—and it immediately caught the attention of traders and financial commentators.
