Bitcoin and Gold Fall As US Payrolls Crush Forecasts by 3x

Bitcoin (BTC) and gold both dropped within minutes of Friday’s US jobs report, after August payrolls came in at nearly three times what economists expected.

The print revived bets on a September Federal Reserve rate hike. That hit the two assets that had spent the week rallying on expectations of a hold.

🇺🇸 *US AUG. NONFARM PAYROLLS RISE 162,000 M/M; EST. +55K – BBG*US AUG. TWO-MONTH PAYROLL NET REVISION ADDS 55,000*US AUG. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 4.1%; EST. 4.1%

— Christophe Barraud 🇫🇷 🇲🇨 (@C_Barraud) September 4, 2026

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Payrolls Triple Forecasts and Flip July Positive

The US economy added 162,000 jobs in August, against a consensus near 56,000. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the prior 12-month average monthly gain at just 31,000.

“NFP comes in nearly 3x expectations at +162k led by bounce back in leisure & Hospitality +62k (food services and drinking places +55k). Local government education similarly +42k, reversing much of July’s -58k (after revision). Total net revisions add +55k to June/July bringing 3-month average to +71k from +38k in July,” one user highlighted.

Revisions did more damage to the slowdown case than the headline did. July’s reported loss of 23,000 jobs became a gain of 21,000. June moved up to 31,000 from 20,000.

Unemployment held at 4.1%. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% to $37.75, lifting the annual pace to 3.1% and beating the 3.0% forecast.

Bitcoin Loses $80,000 in a Single Candle

Bitcoin traded at $81,340 before the release. It fell to $79,661 inside one five-minute candle, a 1.80% drop, and last changed hands near $79,860.

Gold offered no shelter. The metal slid from $4,473 to $4,376 an ounce, a 1.75% loss, in the same window.

“NFP took your SL. Don’t let revenge trading take your account too,” one user quipped.

Leverage magnified both moves. CoinGlass logged $202 million in lomng position liquidations in one hour, taking the 24-hour total to $768.54 million.

BeInCrypto reported hours earlier that Fed hike odds had slipped to a coin flip, and asked whether Bitcoin’s move above $80,000 would hold. It did not.

Warsh Fed Back in Play Before CPI

Hike odds sat near 66% at the end of August. They halved this week after Governor Christopher Waller signaled support for a hold, a shift that carried Bitcoin and gold higher together.

August reverses that logic. Firm wages and upward revisions hand Chair Kevin Warsh the tight labor market his hiking case needs.

The mirror image came a month ago, when a weak July print drove gold futures higher on Binance. Friday ran the trade in reverse.

Consumer price data lands September 11, five days before the Fed decides. A soft inflation print could still undo Friday’s repricing.