This past week's data point of significance for investors has to be March's job report, which indicated the U.S. economy created a better-than-expected 216,000 jobs, the U.S. Labor Department said.

Also, the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 8.8% from 8.9%. A Bloomberg survey had expected the economy to create 200,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate to remain unchanged at 8.9%. Further, job creation totals for February and January were revised higher: February to 194,000 from the initially estimated 192,000 gain; January to 68,000 from 63,000.

Some good news for everyone out there looking for a job: unemployment fell to a two-year low in March, down to 8.8%.

While an 8.8% percent unemployment rate is still nothing to celebrate, it is a clear indication that we are headed in the right direction. Companies hired new employees at the fastest two-month pace since before the recession began.

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.

This past week's data point of significance for investors has to be the revised, final, fourth quarter U.S. GDP report, which indicated the world's largest economy grew 3.1% in the quarter, as well as 2.9% for 2010.

In 2009, the U.S. economy contracted 2.6% during the Great Recession -- the worst downturn since the Great Depression -- and even though the final 3.1% fourth quarter stat was better than the 2.8% previously estimated fourth quarter growth rate, the growth pace still is not strong enough.

This past week's data point of significance for investors has to be the February nonfarm payroll report by the U.S. Department of Labor, which indicated that the U.S. economy created 192,000 jobs last month -- roughly in-line with the consensus estimate.

The good news was complemented by the fact that January's job gain was revised up to 63,000 from 36,000 and December's to 152,000 from 121,000. January's low job tally was probably skewed lower by the winter blizzards and storms that hit the Northeast and Midwest; hence, it's safe to say that the economy is creating jobs. What it needs now is sustained demand to drive GDP growth, which will lead to stronger job growth.

Analyst Upgrades

• Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Boston Scientific (BSX) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Windstream (WIN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Expeditors (EXPD) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• A123 Systems (AONE) to neutral from underperform and Chesapeake Midstream (CHKM) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• AvalonBay (AVB) to outperform from neutral and Post Properties (PPS) to neutral from underperform at Cowen.

In another sign that auto industry has bright day ahead of it, Ford Motor Company (F) announced today that it planned to hire an additional 7,000 employees over the next 2 years.

While this is definitely good news, the figures are still way down from where they were before the auto crisis ravished the industry. Ford currently has 42,000 compared to 103,000 just ten years ago.

The dismal jobs front got a bit more good news, following the release of a report showing the nation's employers last year cut the fewest number of workers in more than a decade. Further, the findings showed 2010 ended on a high note, with December recording the lowest number of monthly cuts since 2000.

The slowdown in cuts follows an uptick in activity in 2009 when downsizing reached a seven-year high, according to the 2010 year-end job-cut report, released Wednesday by job-services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Last year, employers announced plans to eliminate 529,973 positions, the lowest number since 1997.

Australia's economy added 54,600 jobs in October. What, you ask, does that have to do with U.S. investing?

Well, adjusting for Australia's population, November's job growth down under is the equivalent of a 728,000 monthly job gain in the United States -- in other words, a Roaring 90s-level monthly job growth performance.

In a breakthrough on the jobs front, the U.S. added 93,000 private sector jobs from October to November, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report released today. The previous month's report was revised upward to 82,000 from 43,000.

November's gain was the largest private sector rise in three years. It is also the tenth month in which job growth has exceeded 47,000.

By sectors, gains were as follows:

"Five years ago, we presented a strong case for investing in China; we felt so compelled by the opportunity that we expanded our research team and opened a regional research office in Hong Kong," says Jim Oberweis, Jr.

The money manager and editor of The Oberweis Report reviews his current outlook on China, as well as some of his favorite U.S.-listed small cap Chinese companies that are currently in our portfolio.

The advisor explains, "We just recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of our Oberweis China Opportunities Fund; since its inception, the fund returned an average annualized gain of 22.94%.

Automatic Data Processing's (ADP) September private sector employment report -- which came in at a worse-than-expected loss of 39,000 jobs -- is not a data point that investors should ignore. That said, investors need to retain a proper perspective regarding the metric.

Institutional investors, public policy makers, and economists monitor the ADP report primarily because it's the last, monthly, national job tally before the U.S. Department of Labor's monthly, non-farm, payroll report -- the nation's best and most comprehensive survey of labor market conditions, called the Employment Situation.

Alcoa (AA), Marriott (MAR) and Yum! Brands (YUM) kick off the new earnings season this week. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for moderate year-over-year earnings and revenue growth in the third quarter from each of these dividend payers.

Note that Marriott and Yum! Brands have exceeded consensus estimates in recent quarters and have First Call consensus buy recommendations as well. They are also trading near their 52-week highs, while Alcoa shares are closer to the 52-week low despite a 22% rise in the past three months.