The December hiring slowdown wrapped up a year of disappointing job creation—the kind of data that's kept job hunters frustrated despite a surprisingly resilient labor market. Layoffs stayed subdued and unemployment numbers held steady, but the employment trend tells a different story. Weak jobs reports like this typically catch the attention of policy makers. When labor market momentum falters, it can reshape expectations around interest rates and monetary policy, which ripples through everything from equity valuations to crypto markets. The tension between a soft labor market and resilient unemployment creates an interesting backdrop for tracking macro trends and their impact on risk assets.