First, bond traders had to deal with stubbornly low inflation, which Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen called a "mystery."

This week they'll have a second puzzle to solve: how to trade a jobs report that analysts predict will be weak due to the havoc wrought by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

US employers probably added about 85,000 nonfarm workers in September, the smallest increase in six months, according to a Bloomberg survey. Ordinarily, that would be cause for alarm about the pace of economic growth.

But with the storms' devastation so wellknown, traders will probably look past the slowdown and focus on the tone of Fed speakers and any progress on the Trump administration's tax plan, said Timothy High at BNP Paribas. "Any number good or bad is likely to be met with some skepticism," said Subadra Rajappa, head of US rates strategy at Societe Generale.

So, how will the bond market react to Friday's payrolls report? If it meets or tops expectations, that just lines up with the three-week selloff in Treasuries, the longest slide since May. The risk is if it misses the already-depressed estimate, strategists say. That could spark a rally, especially after data last week showed the Fed's preferred inflation gauge is still hovering near the lowest level in a year.

"The risks are asymmetric, a weak number likely leads to a rally, while an ator above-consensus print will be taken with a grain of salt," Rajappa said.

The 10-year Treasury yield ended the week at 2.33 per cent, the highest closing level since July. The Bloomberg Barclays US Treasury Total Return index suffered its biggest monthly decline since November as traders boosted wagers that the Fed is committed to a faster pace of rate hikes.

The odds that policy makers tighten again in December are about 65 per cent, based on overnight index swaps and the effective fed funds rate. The probability climbed close to 70 per cent last week.

That leads to another headscratcher for bond traders: handicapping the next Fed chair. Twoyear yields rose Friday on reports that President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh about succeeding Yellen when her term expires. Warsh is the front-runner in the predictions markets and is seen as more hawkish on inflation.

A decision is coming in two to three weeks, Trump told reporters on Friday.