US and European stock markets have responded positively to the news that 112,000 new jobs were created in January, despite the fact that analysts had expected 150,000 to be created.
The unemployment rate was down slightly at 5.6%, compared with expectations that it would remain steady at 5.7%.
Initially the US and European markets fell on the news, which punctured some investors' confidence that the US economy's recovery is steaming ahead. But markets have rebounded as economists welcomed signs of improvement in the labour market and positive revisions from earlier months.
