According to the ADP Employer Services Report, the private sector added 201,000 new jobs in March, basically in-line with 203,000 new jobs that analysts had been expecting to see.

February's figures were revised downwards to 208,000 from a previously estimated 216,000 new jobs.

March's employment gains bring the four-month average of new jobs to 211,000, more than enough to keep the labor track on path. Analysts estimate that the economy needs to add 125,000 new jobs each month in order to keep up with population growth, so any jobs over that figure result in a lower unemployment figures.

Continue reading Labor Market Continues to Show Signs of Improvement

Labor Market Continues to Show Signs of Improvement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Japanese devastation is almost incomprehensible. First there was the earthquake, followed by the tsunami, followed by radiation. It seems the disaster has no end. The people are suffering beyond imagination. It will be a long time for the country to heal. In the north, it will take decades.

Investors are trying to understand what the economic aftershocks will be. Which industries will be hurt and which ones will benefit? Because the crises change from day to day, it's extremely difficult to ascertain. But there are a few themes that seem to be emerging. Some of these will be short lived, such as the closing of the Japanese auto manufacturers. While they will lose days of production, the long-term effect will be minor, unless supplies are interrupted, causing further delays.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Aftershocks of the Disaster in Japan

Comfort Zone Investing: Aftershocks of the Disaster in Japan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Holiday Sales Falling Short of Expectations

Holiday Sales Falling Short of Expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Just as we are hearing that retailers had a great December, we get news from the Conference Board that U.S. consumer confidence dropped to 52.5 in December. Expectations had been for an increase to 56.9, making for quite a disparity between expectation and reality.

The director of the Conference Board's consumer research center, Lynn Franco, noted that "Consumers' assessment of the current state of the economy and labor market remains tepid, and their outlook remains cautious." Franco added that signs suggest continuing growth for the economy, "but that the pace of growth will remain moderate."

Continue reading Consumer Confidence Drops in December

Consumer Confidence Drops in December originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In projecting U.S. GDP growth at about a 2% rate for the remainder of this year and in 2011, I have noted that the two propellants of growth so far in this economic recovery -- the inventory revival and fiscal stimuli -- are largely exhausted.

But are there other sectors of the economy that might serve as the backbone of any meaningful economic recovery? I don't see any, especially with U.S. consumers continuing their saving spree, repaying debts and remaining hesitant to spend like they did during the boom times of earlier years.

Continue reading Bleak Prospects for Further Economic Growth

Bleak Prospects for Further Economic Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading James Altucher: Despite World Worries, Buy Stocks [VIDEO]

James Altucher: Despite World Worries, Buy Stocks [VIDEO] originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Why There Won't Be an Economic Recovery Soon

Why There Won't Be an Economic Recovery Soon originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite talk all year long that the housing market was stabilizing and that it had reached bottom, home values in the U.S. have fallen $1.7 trillion in 2010, real estate website Zillow announced Thursday. Zillow's 2010 estimate is 63% higher than the $1 trillion drop it estimated in 2009, CNNMoney reported.

The first time home-buyer credit ended up to be just a blip in the overall price declines, demonstrating that market forces are more powerful than temporary fixes.

Continue reading Home Values Plunged $1.7 Trillion in 2010

Home Values Plunged $1.7 Trillion in 2010 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has an indicator that tracks the number of people who simply quit their jobs. CNBC.com reported that the indicator, which they dubbed "Take This Job and Shove It," climbed in October with 2 million people quitting their jobs, up from 1.7 million in the same month a year ago. The last time this pattern occurred was in 2003 when the economy started a long upward trend.

The "Shove It" indicator tends to turn up when people are confident enough that they will find another job if they quit their present one.

Continue reading More People Are Quitting Their Jobs

More People Are Quitting Their Jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is the Diesel Fuel Gauge Pointing to a Slowdown?

Is the Diesel Fuel Gauge Pointing to a Slowdown? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the Labor Department, U.S. producer prices increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4% during October thanks mainly to an increase in energy prices.

Energy prices increased 3.7% during the month, the largest monthly increase since January. This increase was driven (so to speak) by a 9.8% increase in gasoline prices. Food prices dropped 0.1% during the month, with plunge led by a drop of 8.1% in the government's index for fresh and dry vegetables.

Continue reading U.S. Producer Prices Increase During October

U.S. Producer Prices Increase During October originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Futures Lower on Cisco, China Inflation

Futures Lower on Cisco, China Inflation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You can't blame investors for being a little perplexed regarding the U.S. stock market right now.

The market's bulls argue the worst financial and economic news is behind us, and that the Dow's recent rise from about the 9,500 level in July to above 11,000 early this autumn is a signal by institutional investors that better days are ahead.

Continue reading Is Dow 11,000 Sending a False Signal to Investors?

Is Dow 11,000 Sending a False Signal to Investors? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Fiscal Deficit Just Below $1.3 Trillion

U.S. Fiscal Deficit Just Below $1.3 Trillion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Key U.S. Durable Goods Stat Suggests Better Days Ahead for Expansion, Earnings

Key U.S. Durable Goods Stat Suggests Better Days Ahead for Expansion, Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This is not good news. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) did an assessment of growth for the U.S. economy and forecasts lower growth this year and next, according to a report in Reuters.

For the year 2010 the IMF reduced U.S. growth estimate from 3.3% down to 2.6%. For 2011 they also lowered growth from 2.9% to 2.3%.

Continue reading IMF Forecasts a Slowdown in U.S. Growth

IMF Forecasts a Slowdown in U.S. Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Doom & Gloom Economy or Rich America?

Doom & Gloom Economy or Rich America? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The market is roughly a hundred points lower as we head into the final hours of trading, with many factors combining to push investors to the bearish side.

One the mitigating factors is today's data on U.S. factory orders. According to the Commerce Department, factory orders dropped 0.5% in August - marking the third monthly drop in the past four. Perhaps this news is a bit more negative considering orders increased 0.4% in July.

Continue reading Factory Orders Decline in August

Factory Orders Decline in August originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Federal Reserve keeps telling us that inflation is too low. That's true if you use the core index, which excludes food and energy prices. But most of our income is spent on these two sectors. Take Walmart (WMT). Prices at the world's largest retailer rose the the highest level in 21 months, JP Morgan found, according to Bloomberg.

A basket of 31 items at Walmart increased 5% so far this year and 2.7% in September. Seven of the items had price increases of 10% or higher since August.

Continue reading Inflation Comes to Walmart: Prices Are Up from a Year Ago

Inflation Comes to Walmart: Prices Are Up from a Year Ago originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Early Wednesday morning, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that crude inventories dropped 2.4 million barrels during the past week. According to Platt's, inventories were expected to increase by 2.2 million barrels.

The report also showed that there was an increase in gasoline inventories, with distillates dropping. While the Energy Department is going to report its weekly supply data later Wednesday, crude futures inched higher above $76 per barrel.

Continue reading Does American Petroleum Institute Data Mean Economy Is Improving?

Does American Petroleum Institute Data Mean Economy Is Improving? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.