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.”
Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, has blasted into space in a convergence of science fiction and science reality.
Stocks ended an up-and-down day mostly lower on Wall Street as traders wait for more data on inflation and corporate earnings this week.
Southwest Airlines has canceled hundreds more flights following a weekend of major service disruptions that it blamed on bad weather and air traffic control issues.
Facebook will be introducing several features including prompting teens using its photo-sharing app Instagram to take a break and nudging them if they repeatedly look at the same content that's not conducive to their well-being.
Topps unveiled an expansion of its Godzilla NFT collections while New York Comic Con held a panel on the crypto collectibles showing the surging interest in the space.
Stocks closed broadly lower after a day of choppy trading on Wall Street Monday as investors prepare for a busy week of corporate earnings and inflation updates.
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.
Google is cracking down on digital ads promoting false climate change claims or being used to make money from such content, hoping to limit revenue for climate change deniers and stop the spread of misinformation on its platforms.
New York Comic Con is back in-person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, but some major exhibitors are sitting it out
U.S. stocks are mixed in jumbled trading on Friday after a weak jobs report raised questions about the Federal Reserve's timeline to pare back its immense support for markets.
