ThinkstockProductivity and unit labor costs were very mixed in the first quarter of 2013. Much of this seems to be weather related, and the first reminder we would make is that this economic report…
ThinkstockFrom 1998 through 2007, the federal minimum wage was set at $5.15 an hour. Over a three-year period, the minimum wage rose to $7.25 in 2010, and that’s where it stands today. By federal…
Courtesy Maersk LineThe U.S. international trade balance, or the trade deficit, came in largely in line with expectations for the month of March. It was -$40.4 billion, up from the -$42.3 billion in February…
Courtesy Starbucks Corp.After a solid jobs report on Friday and after more good news from the Conference Board on Monday, two more economic barometers are signaling that growth is resuming in the broader economy.…
ThinkstockThe Conference Board Employment Trends Index rose in the month of April, a trend that coincides perfectly with the Labor Department report from last Friday. The so-called ETI rose to 118.0 in April, up…
ThinkstockA recession is defined as “a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.” But does the traditional…
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsVarious data was supporting a strong jobs number for this Friday, and the Labor Department confirmed an even stronger jobs number than what TrimTabs and ADP had prepared the markets…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday morning that construction spending in March increased by 0.2% to an estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of $942.5 billion from an upwardly revised estimate of $940.8 billion in…
ThinkstockThursday might not have seen great numbers at all on the jobs numbers, but the manufacturing data coming on the market is looking mixed to slightly better than the jobs data. The first report…
The U.S. Labor Department is out with a very disappointing weekly jobless claims report. Sadly, this is after both ADP and TrimTabs signaled a stronger payrolls base for the key unemployment and payrolls report…
ThinkstockJanet Yellen and the FOMC have decided to continue with the low rate policy and tapering of quantitative easing yet again. This may sound similar to March, but this likely will come without the…
ThinkstockThe first quarter of 2014 was painfully slow. You likely now know what the blame was — weather. It is also seen in many corporate earnings reports that have come out in the past…
ThinkstockThis Friday’s unemployment and nonfarm payrolls report has the foundation for another strong jobs number. Two preliminary readings are giving a boost to the hopes here: ADP and TrimTabs. ADP Payrolls indicated that the…
ThinkstockHalf the people who live in Illinois and Connecticut would like to move away. A big majority of people who live in Montana, Hawaii and Maine want to stay where they are. These are…
ThinkstockThe two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting began Tuesday and will culminate Wednesday afternoon with an announcement from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that is virtually guaranteed to be less exciting than the…