U.S. job growth accelerated sharply in May and wages picked up, signs of momentum in the economy that bolster prospects for an interest rate hike in September. Nonfarm payrolls increased 280,000 last month, the largest gain since December, the Labor Department said on Friday. While the unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent from a near seven-year low of 5.4 percent in April that was because more people, likely new college graduates, entered the labor force, indicating confidence in the jobs market. Payrolls for March and April were revised to show 32,000 more jobs created than previously reported. That together with an eight cent gain in average hourly earnings raises the chances of the Federal Reserve tightening monetary policy this year. “This certainly puts more ammunition in the Fed’s plan to start lift-off in September,” said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia. The dollar […]