Forex Factory NFP today: US adds 165,000 jobs, unemployment 4.1%
Why 'forex factory' topped Pakistan's searches: the US jobs report at 6:30 PM PKT nearly tripled forecasts. What it can mean for gold and the dollar.
If you searched “forex factory” on Friday, you were not alone: it was the top Google search in Pakistan. The reason was the US jobs report, known to traders as NFP (nonfarm payrolls), which was released at 6:30 PM Pakistan time on Friday, 6 November, and it came in far stronger than expected.
NFP October 2026: the numbers
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Jobs added in October: 165,000 (economists expected about 59,000 to 65,000)
- Unemployment rate: 4.1%, down from 4.2% (forecast: 4.2%)
- Average hourly earnings: up 0.4% on the month (forecast: 0.3%)
September’s figure had been only 29,000, so October’s number is more than five times bigger.
What is Forex Factory, and why do Pakistanis search it?
Forex Factory is a free website with an economic calendar used by currency and gold traders around the world. It lists every big data release, marks the important ones in red, and shows the forecast next to the actual number the second it comes out. NFP, released on the first Friday of most months, is usually the most-watched event on it.
A growing number of Pakistanis trade forex, gold and crypto online from their phones, which is why the search jumps every jobs Friday. Note that most offshore forex apps advertised on social media are not licensed in Pakistan, and many people lose money on leveraged trades during big releases like this one, when prices can swing wildly in seconds.
Why the US jobs report matters in Pakistan
A strong jobs number tells the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, that the economy does not need cheaper money in a hurry. That tends to lift the dollar and push gold down, because gold pays no interest. A weak number does the opposite.
That chain reaches Pakistan. Local gold rates follow the world price, which had already fallen about $65 to near $4,066 an ounce before the report, dragging the tola down Rs6,500 to Rs429,136 on Friday (details here). A firmer dollar can also make oil imports and foreign debt payments costlier for Pakistan.
What to watch next
The Sarafa association’s gold rate on Saturday will show how the report filtered through. The next big date on the same calendar is the US inflation report later this month.
This is market information, not investment advice.
