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.”
America’s employers added 850,000 jobs in June, well above the average of the previous three months and a sign that companies may be having an easier time finding enough workers to fill open jobs.
Stocks finished broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday, adding to the gains that helped the market close out its best first half of a year since the dotcom bubble.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year.
The race for an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on bitcoin is heating up despite multiple delays from federal regulators.
Wall Street closed out its fifth straight quarterly gain Wednesday, continuing its comeback from a steep drop in early 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
President Joe Biden is in Wisconsin, looking to sell voters on the economic benefits of the $973 billion infrastructure package.
Hannah Everhart, a Maryland tattoo artist, is among those professionals rocked by the pandemic, but now the industry is seeing incredibly high demand. She has seen so much interest that she's booked until October.
U.S. stocks drifted further into record heights in a listless day of trading on Tuesday, as Wall Street waits for the heavyweight economic data coming at the end of the week.
Christina Radigan, chief marketing officer of the Out of Home Advertising Association of America, joined Cheddar News' Michelle Castillo to talk about its new study on consumer travel trends and the push to get people to do things outdoors.
A federal judge has dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general, dealing a significant blow to attempts by regulators to rein in tech giants.
