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.

Continue reading Ray of Light: March's Jobs Gain Is More Evidence of Healing Labor Market

Ray of Light: March's Jobs Gain Is More Evidence of Healing Labor Market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Ray of Light: U.S. Private Sector Hiring Increases

Ray of Light: U.S. Private Sector Hiring Increases originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Australia's Job Boom Continues -- Is the U.S. Next?

Australia's Job Boom Continues -- Is the U.S. Next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here is some good news. The Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 151,000 jobs in October. Plus, there were revisions for the previous two months, with private employers adding 107,000 jobs in September and 141,000 in August. This data were reported in the Wall Street Journal.

The unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 9.6%. A broader measure of unemployment which includes people who stopped looking for work and those settling for part time jobs was at 17% for October.

Continue reading Bright Spot: Economy Adds 151,000 Jobs

Bright Spot: Economy Adds 151,000 Jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Favorable economic data pushed stocks near a 100-point gain Tuesday morning. One of the positive reports came from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), which noted that its service-sector index increased to 53.2 during September. This reading easily outpaced August's reading of 51.5 and handily trumped the Street's estimate for a reading of 52.0.

This reading is good because any readings above 50 signal growth in the service sector. This sector is considered the area where the most jobs are created; ergo, growth in this sector suggests that there will be more hiring on the horizon. On a yearly basis, the index shows that service companies have expanded every month this year.

Continue reading Service Sector Growth Increases, Stocks Rally

Service Sector Growth Increases, Stocks Rally originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The obvious question many investors will ask, amid a Dow that surged ahead 200 points or so on Thursday, is "Does this mark a turning point for the market?" or 'Is now a good time to start committing more money to stocks?'

Let's ignore technical indicators for the moment, as more than one bullish fundamental indicator during this long recession -- an economic statistic or otherwise -- has signaled a "false rise" or a "sucker's rally."

Continue reading For Dow Clues, Monitor U.S. Job Growth

For Dow Clues, Monitor U.S. Job Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Job Market: Are Rays of Light Starting to Appear?

U.S. Job Market: Are Rays of Light Starting to Appear? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading May Jobs Report Could Show a U.S. Expansion That's Gaining Momentum

May Jobs Report Could Show a U.S. Expansion That's Gaining Momentum originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading NBER: Recession Not Officially Over, Yet

NBER: Recession Not Officially Over, Yet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With institutional bulls and bears engaged in a battle over Dow 11,000 and with market's bull run showing signs of getting a little long in the tooth, investors are legitimately asking whether now is good time to exit certain stocks that have registered impressive gains, in anticipation of a correction.

The major unknown, of course, is whether a correction is up ahead. What's one act that will add ammunition to the bears' argument? The U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

Continue reading Inflation Level, Not Q1 Earnings, to Determine Rally's Fate

Inflation Level, Not Q1 Earnings, to Determine Rally's Fate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Manpower Survey Shows Some Hiring Potential

Manpower Survey Shows Some Hiring Potential originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The new year 2010 wastes no time in offering investors a "data point of consequence" -- the U.S. Labor Department's December 2009 monthly nonfarm payroll report, commonly known as the jobs report, scheduled to be released Friday January 8 at 8:30 a.m. EST.

It's a data point of note because job growth is the key to a sustained U.S. economic recovery and earnings growth: although the economy certainly can grow for a while without net monthly job gains (as it did in 2002), it's hard to envision a scenario in which the expansion continues for two, three, four or more years without job growth. And, by extension, job growth is intrinsic to both household formation, rising corporate revenue and stock prices. A Bloomberg News economists survey expects the U.S. economy to record zero job growth in December 2009, after losing a scant 11,000 jobs in November 2009.

Continue reading Straight Ahead: First Key Economic Data Point of the New Year -- December 2009 Jobs Report

Straight Ahead: First Key Economic Data Point of the New Year -- December 2009 Jobs Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

California update: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) is expected to ask President Obama to ease federal mandates and minimums on social programs to save the state up to $8 billion.

The action is needed because California, which has already cut programs to eliminate previous budget deficits, faces up to a $21 billion budget deficit for this fiscal year, Bloomberg News reported Thursday.

Continue reading California's Gov. Schwarzenegger Likely to Seek More Federal Assistance to Cut Deficit

California's Gov. Schwarzenegger Likely to Seek More Federal Assistance to Cut Deficit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Geithner Expects U.S Job Growth by Spring

Geithner Expects U.S Job Growth by Spring originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Want to know where the Dow is headed? Keep an eye on job growth

Want to know where the Dow is headed? Keep an eye on job growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. budget deficit may hinder additional economic stimulus actions

U.S. budget deficit may hinder additional economic stimulus actions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Telltale stat: U.S. now has 6 unemployed people for every job opening

Telltale stat: U.S. now has 6 unemployed people for every job opening originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It looks like tomorrow could very well become yet another 'brace yourself Friday' or another edition of "As The U.S. Economy Turns."

Still, hopefully it won't become another "down goes the Dow" day, although analysts and economists certainly haven't ruled the latter out.

The reason? The July 2009 jobs report, to be released by the U.S. Labor Department Friday at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News expect the report to show that the nation lost 300,000 jobs in July, with the unemployment rate rising to 9.7% from 9.5% in June.

Continue reading Nonfarm payroll data released tomorrow -- traders brace themselves

Nonfarm payroll data released tomorrow -- traders brace themselves originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Have you wondered why we don't see more job growth under the economic stimulus program? One reason is that states are using half of $8.8 billion dollars to plug budget deficits. In all, the Department of Education is disbursing $56.6 billion to the states with few requirements as to how the money is spent.

Here's a breakdown of some of the projects being funded:

Continue reading States are grabbing stimulus money to plug budget deficits

States are grabbing stimulus money to plug budget deficits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shortly after President-elect Barack Obama, D-Illinois, is inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, congressional policymakers are likely to act on the largest fiscal stimulus package in U.S. history, and send the bill to the new president's desk, hopefully before mid-February.

The bulk of the package provides stimulus aimed at generating economic growth -- i.e. an effort to help pull the U.S. economy out of its worst recession since at least the Reagan era recession in 1981-82.

Equation: job growth = earnings growth

Moreover, the likely programs -- infrastructure projects, energy system improvements, business investment tax credits, and aid to the states, among others -- must have as their primary focus GDP growth and the reason is obvious enough. Consumer spending and business investment cutbacks, along with declining asset prices, have reduced demand to such a degree that absent stimulus targeted to increase demand the U.S. economy will remain in recession through 2009 and well into 2010, many economists agree.

Still, what the nation does not want is a fiscal stimulus package that does not call for additional hiring, so says economist Peter Dawson.

Continue reading Why the U.S. should not settle for just GDP growth without jobs

Why the U.S. should not settle for just GDP growth without jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.