As Wall Street anxiously awaits the Labor Department's monthly employment report due on Friday, a decent bet has emerged. Odds are, the government will say it underestimated recent job gains.
A Thursday report based on payrolls showed that the U.S. private sector added more jobs than forecast in December, a very bullish sign that added to the hope of a strong official Labor Department report on Friday. Bond prices briefly turned down on the news. Yields on 10-year notes declined 2 basis points to 1.96 percent, after touching 2.03 percent following the data.
The number of planned job cuts at U.S. firms declined in December to the lowest level since June, but up from the same time a year ago, a report on Thursday showed.
PepsiCo's reported plans to lay off about 4,000 employees, if confirmed, would be only the latest in a round of mass layoffs large American manufacturers have announced or put into effect just 5 days into the new year.
At a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sunday, Santorum said of entitlement programs, I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.
The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits resumed its downward trend last week after an uptick in the week ended Dec. 24. The figure remained below a key threshold for gauging the job market, a sign that the labor market is gaining strength.
Private-sector hiring surged in December as employers added 325,000 new workers while claims for jobless benefits fell, raising hope that recent labor market improvement would continue in 2012.
Iowa and New Hampshire, which have been flocked by GOP candidates who insist the federal government is wasteful with its spending, have both benefited enormously from federal programs.
New claims for unemployment benefits fell by 15,000 last week in the latest sign the labor market was improving and could help the country resist the effects of a likely euro zone recession.
New claims for unemployment benefits fell by 15,000 last week in the latest sign the labor market was improving and could help the country resist the effects of a likely Eurozone recession.
The Federal Reserve released a report on Wednesday that called for changes to foreclosure processing and an expanded role for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to bolster the still-struggling U.S. housing market.
Byron Wien, vice chairman at Blackstone Advisory Partners issued his list of surprises for 2012 on Wednesday. The tradition of giving his views on a series of economic, financial market and political surprises for the coming year started in 1986.
A survey of primary dealers by the New York Fed showed much uncertainty among the 21 large banks that act as counterparties to the Fed's open market transactions.
As we head into the election year, it is worth noting that no American president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has won a second term in office when the unemployment rate on Election Day topped 7.2 percent. Despite the recent positive headlines, this series of charts on the U.S. employment situation paints a rather grim picture.
Japan's leading share average rose to a three-week closing high on Wednesday after better-than-expected economic data from the United States and China, although strategists said the rally could stall if the euro holds below 100 yen.
The Federal Reserve, in a move that could push back expectations of when near-zero U.S. interest rates will rise, will begin publishing its policymakers' forecasts for borrowing costs.
Demand for loans to buy homes and refinance mortgages slid in the final week of 2011, even as mortgage rates dipped, an industry group said on Wednesday.
Wall Street stocks kicked off 2012 with a rally on Tuesday after construction and factory data signaled the U.S. economic recovery was gaining steam.
Manufacturing grew at its fastest pace in six months in December, capping a late-year upswing, but a European slump and rising oil prices posed threats to the U.S. economy in the new year.
Manufacturing grew at its fastest pace in six months in December, capping a late-year upswing, but a European slump and rising oil prices posed threats to the U.S. economy in the new year.
Wall Street stocks kicked off 2012 with a sharp rally on Tuesday after data showed U.S. manufacturing activity and construction spending picked up, signaling the economic recovery was gaining steam.
Now even the East is experiencing a buoyant economic rebirth.
