Higher wages don’t have to mean higher inflation. That could matter for Bitcoin

US nonfarm businesses produced more per hour in the third quarter, allowing labor costs per unit of output to fall even as hourly compensation rose. For Bitcoin, that offers a potential offset to jobs-driven rate fears: if lower cost pressure helps cool inflation and expected interest rates, financing could become less expensive.The Bureau of Labor Statistics' preliminary November 5 release showed nonfarm business productivity rising 3.6% as output increased 3.7% and hours worked rose 0.1%. Hourly compensation increased 2.9%, while unit labor costs fell 0.7%. All those quarterly changes are seasonally adjusted annualized rates.Unit labor costs track compensation relative to output. BLS divides hourly compensation by productivity: when each hour produces more, businesses can pay more per hour without incurring higher labor costs for each unit they produce.Productivity outpaced hourly compensation in Q3 2026Annualized changes: hourly compensation plus 2.9 percent, productivity plus 3.6 percent, unit labor costs minus 0.7 percent. Unit labor costs were still 2.4 percent higher over a year. Q3 2026 · nonfarm business · preliminary 01 / PRODUCTIVITY OFFSET HIGHER PAY Hourly compensation...