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.”
Wall Street capped a day of choppy trading Wednesday with more record highs for stocks and another drop in bond yields that sends mixed signals about investors' confidence in the market.
The Pentagon said it has canceled a cloud-computing contract with Microsoft that could eventually have been worth $10 billion and will instead pursue a deal with both Microsoft and Amazon.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has officially stepped down as CEO of the company he started out of his Seattle garage in 1995.
Software company Kaseya says the cyberattack it experienced over the July 4th holiday weekend but that it was never a threat and had no impact on critical infrastructure.
Banks and energy companies helped pull stocks mostly lower on Wall Street Tuesday, ending the S&P 500's seven-day run of record high closes.
Americans enjoying newfound liberty are expected to travel and gather for cookouts, fireworks and family reunions over the Fourth of July weekend in numbers not seen since pre-pandemic days.
Fireworks may be harder to come by this year amid nationwide shortages that are pushing prices up and leaving shelves empty.
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.
After two months of lower than expected job gains, the June jobs data has brought some cheer to those looking for a faster economic recovery.
Stocks are again closing higher on Wall Street, with the S&P 500 posting its seventh straight gain and seventh consecutive all-time high.
