The usual middle-of-the-road approach. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen’s Humphrey Hawkins testimony to the Senate yesterday, that is. (She appears before the House later today.) There were no hints as to if she was ready to vote for a rate … Continued
The latest productivity report had observers buzzing more about unit labor costs than output per hour. In 4Q16, unit labor costs jumped at an annual rate of 1.68 percent, up from 0.18 percent in 3Q16. This comes in the wake … Continued
Since last Wednesday, there has been a sudden pickup in QE talk. That was when Bill Dudley, president of the New York Fed, said that “the decision to begin the normalization process at the September FOMC meeting seems less compelling … Continued
Jan pickup in U.S. average hourly wages after Dec drop welcome relief Nevertheless, NFIB members’ comp plans tumble big time in January Loss of high-paying oil jobs will put downward pressure on wages One of the reasons January’s employment report … Continued
Should not come as a shock that wage growth for U.S. workers is in doldrums Beneath ‘all hunky dory’ headlines, there are cracks in labor market In corporate vs. labor today, former price setter, latter taker The five-cent month-over-month drop … Continued
U.S. unemployment claims near historical lows, job cuts subdued In a sea of stability, could an ocean of troubles be lurking? Crude drop in oil price has potential to throw a curve It is always cheap – and prudent – … Continued
Steep drop in unemployment rate typically would suggest upward wage pressure Shrinkage in labor force takes bargaining power away from employees Corporations taking increasing share of national income vs labor It has been a while National Federation of Independent Business … Continued
Jobs have been relatively hard to come by in the current economic recovery. From the January 2008 high of 138.37mn, U.S. non-farm payroll nosedived all the way to 129.66mn by February 2010, for a loss of 8.7mn. It took four-plus … Continued
Sales of new homes are struggling to maintain their earlier momentum. The three-month moving average flat-lined for nearly a year before peaking at 448k (SAAR) in January this year. Those for sale (supply) has been gradually inching up as well … Continued
Any economist or investment professional who knows a thing or two about what is going on in the U.S. job market knows not to be misled by the rapid decline in the unemployment rate. From the cycle high 10 percent … Continued