862,000 JOBS ERASED, THE BIGGEST DOWNWARD REVISION SINCE 2009 FINANCIAL CRISIS.
The annual BLS benchmark revision shows the U.S. economy created far fewer jobs than originally reported.
Total 2025 job growth was cut down to just 181,000 jobs for the entire year.
For comparison: 2024 added 1,459,000 jobs. That’s a massive slowdown year over year.
On average, 2025 saw only about 15,000 jobs added per month after revisions, one of the weakest years for job creation outside recession periods.
This −862K revision is the largest downward revision since the 2009 financial crisis.
Not only that, the total federal employees dropped to 2.68 million, the lowest level in 60 years.
Month by month data was revised lower almost across the board. Some months that originally showed job gains were revised close to zero or negative.
At one point, total employment levels were overstated by over 1 million jobs vs. actual payroll records.
This also continues a pattern:
• 2023 → revised lower • 2024 → revised lower • 2025 → revised even more lower
So for three straight years, job growth has been overestimated in real time. Yes, January showed +130K jobs and unemployment at 4.3%.
But that single month strength sits on top of a labor market that was far weaker through 2025 than headline data suggested.
Now if this trend continues, recession risks rise even more because job creation is the backbone of consumer spending and economic growth.
A weaker labor market increases pressure on the Fed to support the economy through rate cuts, liquidity injections, or even QE if conditions deteriorate further.
So while markets focus on today's strong jobs print, the revised data underneath is pointing to a much softer economic backdrop going forward.
Different decades. Same pattern: gold doesn’t trend up forever. It tends to run hard for 9-10 years, then cool off for years and sometime decades.
BUT WHAT USUALLY ENDS A GOLD SUPER RUN?
It’s usually a mix of:
- Inflation finally cooling - Real rates moving up - The Fed getting tighter for longer - The dollar stabilizing - Tisk appetite coming back
That’s why gold peaks often show up around major policy shifts.
When gold topped in 1980, it wasn’t the end of markets. It was the start of a long rotation: gold cooled off, stocks entered a long uptrend that lasted for 20 years.
When gold topped again in 2011, we saw a similar shift: gold went sideways/down for years, stocks went into a long bull trend through the 2010s and beyond.
So the historical pattern looks like this:
Gold super run ends → capital rotates back into growth assets → equities get a long runway.
Currently gold recently pushing to a new high area ($5.6k) after a strong multi year climb. That doesn’t confirm a top by itself.
But it does tell you something important: We are no longer early in this move.
THE BIG DIFFERENCE THIS TIME: In 1980, there was no crypto. In 2011, Bitcoin was still tiny and ignored. In 2026, crypto is a real market with: institutional participation, ETFs and big platforms, public companies holding BTC, a much bigger investor base than any prior cycle.
So if the classic post gold rotation happens again…
This time it may not be: Gold → Stocks only
It could be: Gold → Stocks + Bitcoin + high beta crypto
Because crypto is now part of the risk-on world.
Gold has a history of 10 year super trends, When those trends mature, stocks often get a long runway.
This cycle is now in the same late stage decade window. And crypto is the new player that could absorb part of the next rotation.