The Mexican peso remained stable this Friday, closing at 17.98 units per dollar in wholesale operations, a level similar to the previous session, according to the price of the Bank of Mexico. However, in the weekly balance, the peso fell 6 cents (0.38 percent), amid a strengthening of the US currency.

The dollar rose after a ‌report showed weaker-than-expected US job growth, suggesting the Federal Reserve (Fed) could leave interest rates unchanged at the end of the month.

For its part, the reference index of the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) rose 0.83 percent to a new maximum of 66,000 62.62 units, in line with the Dow Jones and Standard and Poor’s (S&P) 500 indices of the New York Stock Exchange, which reached record figures of 49,504.07 points and 6,966.28 units, respectively. The Nasdaq index rose 0.81 percent.

The US creates the fewest jobs in 2025 since the covid-19 pandemic

The United States created 50,000 jobs in December, a figure below expectations and lower than the 56,000 in November, the Department of Labor reported. However, the unemployment rate fell from 4.5 in November to 4.4 percent in December. In 2025, a total of 584 thousand positions were created, significantly less than the 2 million the previous year, culminating the weakest year for the labor market since the Covid 19 pandemic.

The labor market lost considerable momentum last year, largely blamed on President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade and immigration policies, which economists say reduced both the demand for and supply of workers.

Before the figures, the Mexican peso weakened to 18.04 units, a level not seen since mid-December, due in part to uncertainty about the next movements of the United States after its military incursion in Venezuela.

In an interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump stated Thursday night that his administration would begin attacking drug cartels on the ground, which was interpreted as a warning of a possible operation in Mexican territory.

Oil prices rise

Oil prices rose sharply on Friday driven by market fears of a possible disruption to oil production in Iran due to anti-government protests. The US WTI gained $1.36 to $59.12 per barrel; Brent rose 1.35 dollars to 63.34, and the Mexican export mix rose 1.41 dollars to 54.97 dollars a barrel.

Iran is a major oil producer, with around 3.2 million barrels per day, according to the latest data published by OPEC.