Market Notes - March 5, 2010

The unemployment rate held at 9.7% in February and employment declined less than forecast. The Labor Department said payrolls dropped 36,000 last month after a 26,000 decrease in January. Heavy snowstorms during the week of the survey were expected to cause a large drop in payrolls and a rise in the unemployment rate. However, the Labor department said the storms may have affected the numbers, but it was difficult to quantify the net impact on employment.