The economy is at a fork in the road

Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

• The economy is at a decisive moment, and Friday's jobs report may provide answers.
• The last jobs report brought an unpleasant surprise when unemployment jumped up, causing the stock market to plunge.
• August's report — and the unemployment rate in particular — may indicate which direction the economy is headed.

Friday's jobs report is a big one.

That's because the US economy is at a critical point. The next batch of...