Unemployment Pressures Fed to Buy Bonds, Economists Say

Pressure is increasing on the Federal Reserve to stimulate the economy through a third round of bond purchases after a U.S. government report showed employers hiring at the slowest pace in nine months, economists said.

U.S. businesses expanded payrolls by 18,000 in June and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent, marking the third consecutive monthly increase. The rise in payrolls fell below the most pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of economists, which called for a 105,000 gain.