Americans applied for fewer unemployment benefits at the end of 2019, the Labor Department announced Thursday. The number dropped by 2,000 to 222,000 in the seven days up until December 28, although the four-week average ticked up by 4,750 to 233,250.
The report beat expectations that had predicted 225,000 new claims, according to Reuters. The result marks the third consecutive weekly decline.
“I think we’re definitely going to see slightly smaller growth month by month than what we saw in 2019 and that’s consistent with economists expectations’ of the macroeconomy weakening slightly,” in the labor market, Beth Akers, Manhattan Institute senior fellow, told Cheddar.
She will be keeping an eye on manufacturing trends and changes in policy regarding trade for indications about how job numbers will grow (or shrink) in 2020.
“If you’re looking to something to be concerned about, you can look at the four-week moving average, which is up from what it’s been over the course of the year,” Akers said. “But, by and large, these are really strong, positive numbers for the labor market.”
Despite Elon Musk making the deal to buy Twitter, it's still unclear as to what all of his plans might be for it. Tesla’s stock dropped on Tuesday, potentially due to concerns over what the situation might mean for the EV maker going forward. Hatem Dhiab, a managing partner at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, and Bruce Goldfarb, the president and CEO of Okapi Partners, joined Cheddar News to talk about the ramifications of the acquisition for both Tesla and Twitter stockholders. "I think people are scared because the deal has some leverage that's tied to Tesla stock, and people are worried that maybe Elon will sell some of his stock," Dhiab said about the purchase. "But I don't think that that's likely."
Clothing brand PacSun and online thrift retailer thredUP are partnering up for "Pre-Loved Pac," a 360-resale program allowing PacSun customers to clean out their closets for credit and shop for gently used clothing directly through PacSun's website. Pacsun co-CEO Alfred Chang and thredUP CEO James Reinhart joined Cheddar News to talk about their collaboration. "The latest research shows that over 50 percent of this generation has engaged in either selling or purchasing something at resale," Chang said. "It's important to them and it's important obviously to the world in terms of what we can do in terms of recycling clothes."
New Jersey has legalized recreational marijuana. The state missed cannabis holiday 4/20 by just a day. Cannabis giant Curaleaf operates three dispensaries in New Jersey. The company's CEO Joe Bayern joins Cheddar to recap the big day.
According to the Morning Consult, consumer spending in March was significantly impacted by inflation even as habits changed from purchasing goods to services as pandemic restrictions ebbed. Kayla Bruun, an economic analyst for the Morning Consult, joined Cheddar News to talk about the findings."Consumers are getting more and more concerned about paying for gas, paying for groceries — all these prices that are rising so quickly for things that they really don't have the choice but to buy," she said. "They're starting to cut back on the things that are a little bit more discretionary, realizing with prices as high as they are, it's maybe not the best time to be booking a vacation or upgrading their kitchen."
