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07 Jan 2011 09:35

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Biz: Unemployment dips in December, but job growth only moderate

  • 103,000 the increase in jobs last month – decent but lower than expected (and mostly private job growth)
  • 9.4% the decrease in unemployment, which is down nearly half a percentage point source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jan 2011 11:23

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Biz: Could unemployment rate drop? Key indicator looks very positive

  • 297k new payrolls among private employers in December, according to payroll processor ADP, which tracks stuff like this
  • 100k new payrolls were expected in the December survey, so this is an extremely positive sign for economic growth
  • eleven straight months of growth for private-sector payrolls … but will unemployment drop? (those numbers will come Friday) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Dec 2010 12:10

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Biz: New jobless claims back down to pre-financial-crisis numbers

  • 388,000 the number of new jobless claims last week (the week of Christmas), the lowest it’s been in ages
  • 07/12/08 the last time new jobless claims dipped below 400,000 in a week – in the midst of the housing crisis source
  • » Is this a corner turned? It’s important to note that while weekly jobless claims figures aren’t exactly the end-all-be-all of unemployment statistics, the number has been headed in downward direction for weeks and is nearly 250,000 less than its peak in March 2009. While the numbers are seasonally adjusted, the Christmas holiday can have an effect on them, so it’s good to keep an eye on this number to see where it goes after the first of the year.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Dec 2010 10:57

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Biz: Consumers bought more this Christmas, but not feeling confident

  • good Consumers bought more stuff in the week before Christmas than they did a year earlier – a solid 4.8-percent jump. It’s a great holiday season overall for retail.
  • bad However, consumer confidence managed to fall in December, suggesting that we still in fact have a long way to go before we’re back to normal, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Nov 2010 09:12

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Biz: U.S. economy growing, but not fast enough to spur job growth

  • 2.5% the amount the U.S. economy grew in the third quarter (that’s pretty good, actually)
  • 1.7% the amount the economy grew in the prior quarter (we improved; that’s even better!)
  • 3.5% the rate of growth that’s economists say we need to cut the unemployment rate (that’s bad) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Nov 2010 09:49

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Biz: To start off your day right, here’s some crappy economic news

  • +0.2% the increase in the Consumer Price Index in October – an increase, but a much more mediocre one than economists expected
  • -11.7% the drop in new housing starts in October; the Treasury’s $600 billion shot in the arm doesn’t look so bad now, does it? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Nov 2010 09:56

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Biz: Unemployment stays put despite genuinely solid job growth

  • 151,000 the increase in hiring in October – mostly on the back of private sector jobs, which is really good
  • 9.6% the current unemployment rate, which didn’t improve even though jobs numbers were strong source
  • » Far better than predicted: Economists were expecting a hiring increase of around 60,000 in October, which was more than doubled. So hey, that’s a positive!
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Nov 2010 20:39

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Biz: Stock market really likes Federal Reserve’s stimulus plan

  • 11,434 the Dow Jones Industrial’s close today, the highest close of the entire year so far
  • 1.96% the leap the Dow made in reaction to the Federal Reserve’s $600 billion money bomb announcement source
  • » The most impressive part: This is the highest that the Dow has closed since September of 2008, just before Lehman Brothers collapsed and turned the stock market into a shell of its former self. Alright, great. Now when are these largely rehabilitated firms going to start hiring some people back so everyone else can feel the economic recovery?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2010 21:32

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Biz: The Federal Reserve shoves money into the economy’s flagging corpse

  • $600
    billion     the amount of money headed from the Federal Reserve to the U.S. government
  • $75
    billion     the amount that breaks down to between now and June of next year; will it (finally) help? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Oct 2010 10:36

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Biz: In this post, we try to find silver lining in mediocre jobless numbers

  • good New jobless claims this week are at their lowest number in about three months. Not great, but a definite improvement!
  • better Continuing jobless claims fell to their lowest level since late 2008. Hopefully that keeps up so we can stop complaining. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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