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.”
Arguably the biggest challenge to the rise of electric vehicles is their outsized demand for rare earth minerals. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo does a deep dive into the struggle over securing supply chains for a green tech future.
Facebook's parent company Meta says it has created what it believes is among the fastest artificial intelligence supercomputers running today.
Bahamian authorities say a cruise ship that was set to dock in Miami has remained in the Bahamas, avoiding a U.S. judge’s order to seize the vessel.
Pfizer and BioNTech have begun studying a COVID-19 vaccine tweaked to match to the omicron variant in healthy adults.
Stocks are closing lower on Wall Street Tuesday after another volatile day of trading. Technology companies like Microsoft were again the biggest drag on the market.
Jarrod Loadholt, a partner at the law firm Ice Miller LLP, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down what's causing the current major crypto crash with Bitcoin and Ether both falling more than 50 percent below their recent highs. "Some investors are pricing in what's very likely to be the end of loose monetary policy," Loadholt said, pointing to the likelihood of the Federal Reserve shortly reversing course on pandemic-era easing. He also went into what the future holds for cryptocurrencies.
Stocks recovered from big early losses Monday as investors jumped in before the closing bell.
They say life is about the journey, not the destination — and how you get there makes all the difference. Americans shunned train stations, roadways, and airports amid the coronavirus pandemic, never realizing things could be fundamentally different when they return. In this episode, we're exploring the evolving world of transportation, from how we get around to how goods get to us.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to convert his first paycheck this week into two cryptocurrencies.
