If it just seems like the first Friday of the month wasn't the same without being able to pore through the Bureau of Labor Statistics' hotly watched monthly jobs report, don't worry. You probably didn't miss much. While the BLS has gone dark with the shutdown in Washington, other reports outside the government data suggest the labor market just plodded along in September. The Dow Jones consensus forecast was for growth of 51,000 in nonfarm payrolls with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3%. High-frequency data that includes job postings, private payrolls and state-by-state figures...
Economic activity in the US services sector accelerated in December, with the ISM Services PMI rising to 54.1 from 52.1 in November. This reading was higher than the market expectation of 53.3. Other details from the report showed that the Prices Paid Index, a component of inflation, rose to 64.4 from 58.2, while the Employment Index fell to 51.4 from 51.5. Market reaction The US dollar strengthened against other major currencies in an immediate reaction. At the time of writing, the USD Index was up 0.2% on the day at 108.52. Source: FXStreet
The ISM Manufacturing PMI rose 0.9 points from the previous month to 49.3 in December 2024, beating market expectations of 48.4. The reading reflected the slowest pace of contraction in the U.S. manufacturing sector since March's 50.3 reading, the only expansion in the industry since September 2022. A gauge measuring new orders came in at 52.5, reflecting the strongest level of new orders in 11 months, suggesting that lower output for manufacturers may be nearing a bottom despite the Fed's prolonged interest rate tightening. In turn, a gauge measuring the prices faced by businesses rose to...
Global stocks advanced on Thursday after a four-session drop to end 2024, while the dollar strengthened after economic data pointed to a U.S. labor market that remained on solid footing. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks were higher in the early stages of trading, with the S&P 500 on track to snap a four session streak of declines to end 2024. Data from the U.S. Labor Department showed the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits dropped to an eight-month low of 211,000 last week, below the 222,000 estimate of economists polled by Reuters. Gains were led by the...
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to 219K in the week ending Dec. 29, 2024. That was down from the 222K estimate and from the previous weekly reading of 219K, which was revised down to 220K, the Labor Department said Thursday. Source: @Newsmaker23
Investors are expecting more gains for the U.S. stock market in 2025 after two straight standout years, fueled by a solid economy supporting corporate profits, moderating interest rates and pro-growth policies from incoming president Donald Trump. The benchmark S&P 500 is up roughly 24% year-to-date, even with a recent speed bump, and is on pace for its second straight year of gains exceeding 20%, lifted by megacap tech stocks and excitement over the business potential of artificial intelligence. Investors are more confident about the economy than this time a year ago, with consumers...
Asia-Pacific markets traded higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.41% after hitting a fresh record high on Thursday, while the Topix added 0.61%. South...
Both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 hovered around the flatline on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of further developments in trade talks between US President Trump and Chinese...
The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal, setting off what could be a long,...