Total nonfarm payrolls published today (Jan. 10) by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics came in above market expectations as economists polled by Reuters had expected the number to remain at 160,000. The employment data for December was a significant increase from the downwardly revised figure of 212,000 jobs added in November. Investors bank on US GDP growth above 2% but ‘rising optimism’ could dampen that prospect Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% last month from 4.2% in November. , this level has been maintained for the last seven months. The biggest increase in…