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...
The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, almost reversing the prior two weeks' increases and suggesting that a gradual labor market slowdown remained in place. Other data on Thursday showed the economy grew faster than previously estimated in the third quarter, driven by robust consumer spending. The upbeat reports came a day after the Federal Reserve delivered a third consecutive interest rate cut, but projected only two rate reductions in 2025, citing the economy's continued resilience and still-elevated inflation. Fed Chair...
The US economy expanded at a faster pace in the third quarter than previously estimated, owing in part to to stronger consumer spending and exports. Gross domestic product increased at a 3.1% annualized rate in the third quarter, the third estimate of the figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed Thursday. That compared to a previous projection of 2.8%. Consumer spending was marked up to a 3.7% pace from 3.5%. The numbers reinforce the notion that the economy is still powering ahead despite expectations among forecasters for an eventual slowdown. The report comes...
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to 220,000 in the week ended Dec. 15, 2024. That was down from the 229,000 estimate and from the previous weekly reading of 242,000, the Labor Department said Thursday (12/19). Source: @Newsmaker23
The Bank of England left the benchmark bank rate steady at 4.75% during its December 2024 meeting, in line with market expectations, as CPI inflation, wage growth and some indicators of inflation expectations had risen, adding to the risk of inflation persistence. However, three policymakers preferred to reduce the bank rate by 25bps to 4.5% on the back of sluggish demand and a weakening labour market. The central bank reinforced that a gradual approach to removing monetary policy restraint remains appropriate and that monetary policy will need to continue to remain restrictive for...
EUR/USD surged closer to 1.0400 during the European session on Thursday as the US Dollar (USD) strength took a breather after Wednesday's sharp rally. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, held gains near a fresh two-year high above 108.00. The greenback drew significant bids after the Federal Reserve (Fed) cut its key lending rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.25%-4.50% on Wednesday, as expected, but signaled fewer rate cuts for next year. In the latest dot chart, the Fed revised its projection for the number of interest rate cuts...
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,...