The U.S. economy added 311,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The gains were well above the consensus estimates of around 200,000 new jobs, in another sign that the labor market is stronger than many expected given recent Federal Reserve rate hikes. In January, the U.S. added a whopping half a million jobs, despite expectations of a sizable slow down in hires.
What sectors are driving the gains? Leisure and hospitality, once again leading the charge, added 105,000 jobs, with food services and drinking places adding the lion's share.
Retail, meanwhile, added 50,000 jobs, with general merchandise stores contributing the bulk, and government employment increased 46,000 in February.
On the losing side, the information industry shed 25,000 jobs, and transportation and warehousing lost 22,000 jobs — the second large drop for the sector since the beginning of the year.
A report from Rent.com finds that prices are stabilizing at the national level but some states are still seeing some skyrocketing rates. Jon Leckie, a researcher with Rent.com, joined Cheddar News to provide the big takeaways on what're the latest trends from the report.
Air New Zealand is asking passengers to weigh themselves before boarding flights in an effort to ensure "the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft."
Jay Woods, chief global strategist with Freedom Capital Markets, joined Cheddar News to discuss what lies ahead as trading kicked off a holiday-shortened week and ahead of a House vote on the debt ceiling deal.
With home sales rising 4.1 percent in April from the month before and 11.8 percent from a year ago, the housing market is still hot. Kirsten Jordan, associate real estate broker for Douglas Elliman, has some tips to help savvy homebuyers get into the market
