After Powell's speech, some reporters speculated that he might have already grasped the US September employment report.

CNBC reporter Steve Liesman made an intriguing comment following Powell's appearance at the National Association for Business Economics conference: "I heard an intriguing question during the Q&A session. The September jobs report is out, and I can only say there are whispers circulating in the hallways asking, 'Did Powell get the jobs report? Did the Fed get the report?' We don't know, and he hasn't revealed it himself, but we have a feeling he probably—most likely—has gotten it." Adam Button, an analyst at investinglive, a US financial website, also noted that Powell's remarks seemed to hint at the report's contents: data since the July meeting show a significant weakening of the labor market; the balance of job growth has declined significantly; and there are clear downside risks to the labor market. Adam Button speculates that, judging by these statements, the report is likely to be quite bad. (Jinshi)