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Jobs Up Despite Trump

Trump often whines about the mainstream press ignoring his economic accomplishments. He cites the current labor market as a shining example of his economic prowess. Is their distaste for him clouding their perspective of his stewardship over the jobs economy?

On the surface, this sounds like an easy question. We have an unemployment rate that has reached levels not seen in almost two decades at…

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Redbird Slack In Need of LaRussa's Growl

Redbird Slack In Need of LaRussa’s Growl

This Cardinals team has talent. They have definitely upgraded the athleticism and skill from last year. The real issues are slack and lack of mental toughness. This was on full display in Sunday night’s game with the Cubs.

Evening starts out great. Michael Wacha is flashing power and finesse by pumping strikes low in the strike zone. Dexter Fowler sets the table with a walk and Piscotty cleans it…

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Leaky Play Dooms Cards

One play.

If it’s made, the Cards are likely victorious.

Don’t make it and it’s another discouraging loss.

The play of the game was not the grand slam from Kyle Schwarber, but three batters before that where Wilson Contreras’ grounder should have been the start of a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. Instead, the missed opportunity resulted in runners on first and third, followed by hit batsman in…

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Are The Jobs Numbers Fake Now?

When similar results were posted in past employment data, Trump was dismissive and calling them lies. Now that the first labor report of his nascent presidency has been released, he is changing his tune. Trump officials are now openly touting the numbers as evidence that they are facilitating change. In reality, it is not much different than what we have seen over the last year. There was an…

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#job growth #regulation #taxes #Trump #U-6 unemployment rate #unemployment rate #Wage growth

Limits To What GOP Can Do In Budget Reconciliation

Stuart Varney of Fox Business asks some sharp questions to Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham regarding repealing and replacing Obamacare. There is a reason that many past presidents, with the exception of Obama, has been unsuccessful in passing comprehensive health care reform. Many Americans don’t understand the budget reconciliation process. There are strict rules relating to provisions that…

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Germany's Merkel In Brexit Pickle

Germany’s Merkel In Brexit Pickle

EU Chancellor and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel is in quite a predicament. Though facing intense pressure from global investors to negotiate favorable terms for a Brexit, she is reluctant to send a message that would ultimately lead others to follow the United Kingdom (UK) out of the European Union (EU). One of the prime benefits of being a member of the EU is its ease in facilitating…

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#Banking #Brexit #EU #Euro #global investors #Merkel #UK

Is Jobs Engine Running Out of Steam?

After experiencing optimism earlier in the year, there are signs that the U.S. jobs engine might be slowing. Certainly, the turmoil experienced in China, Europe, and the Middle East are finally starting to drag down the economy. However, the lack of robust business investment is also problematic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its jobs report for September and it showed a steady…

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#business investment #consumer spending #core capital goods #Employment to population ratio #job growth #labor force participation rate #unemployment rate #wages

Lack of Income Mobility Hurts Us All

When looking at the New York Times’ David Leonhardt’s fascinating research on how your location determines your income mobility, there are some obvious conclusions.

We all know that there are certain areas where poverty is rampant and multi-generational. Those are areas where we would expect income mobility to be low.

What is striking is that even the earning potential of the affluent is…

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#David Leonhardt #family composition #income inequality #New York Times #poverty #residential segregation #schools #social mobility #violent crime

Are We Seeing Weakness In U.S. Jobs Market?

March job numbers were disappointing. Even though the unemployment rate was unchanged and this marked 61 months of positive job growth, job gains of 126,000 was the lowest since December 2013. Though one should not overreact to data over a month’s period, we are seeing evidence of a disturbing trend. Here’s the quarterly job rates over the last four quarters:

Certainly, the last quarter of…

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#Civilian unemployment rate #labor force participation rate #U-6 unemployment rate

Recent Job Reports Charting Success

The February jobs report was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. It paints a relatively rosy picture with solid job growth of 295,000 and a declining unemployment rate that reached 5.5 percent. Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics provides an informative snapshot of the recent job trends in employment.

Chart 1: Year-to-year job gains are steadily rising.

Chart 2:…

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#Average hourly earnings #Average weekly earnings #Average weekly hours #bureau of labor statistics #college #Employment to population ratio #full employment #full-time jobs #high school #labor force participation rate #less than high school #Median duration of unemployment #nonfarm payrolls #part-time jobs #some college #unemployed person who have been out of work 27 weeks or more #unemployment rate #Unemployment rate by duration

Labor Market Momentum Continues To Grow

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released their January 2015 jobs reportthat showed the economy grew by 257,000 jobs and the unemployment rate had a modest increase at 5.7 percent. This is a good sign because January and February are typically slow hiring months with weather being a factor. Over the last six months, we have gained at least 250,000 jobs or more in four of those months with an…

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#bureau of labor statistics #Civilian unemployment rate #construction employment #financial services employment #FRED #health care employment #manufacturing employment #part-time unemployment due to economic reasons #Retail trade employment #St. Louis Fed #U-6 unemployment rate

U.S. Economic Growth Remains Solid Despite Not Keeping Pace

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released its preliminary estimate of 4th quarter results and it shows that economic growth slowed considerably from last quarter’s torrid pace of 5 percent to 2.4 percent. This estimate should be viewed with caution because it is based on incomplete data and further revisions will be released in the future. Having said that, it still remains a decent figure…

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#4th quarter economic growth #Business spending #consumer spending #equipment #federal government spending #fixed investments #gas prices #global economy #net exports #U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

What Is End Game With Ferguson?

We are reaching closure on Ferguson with reports that the U.S. Justice Department will likely not seek charges on Officer Darren Wilson for violations of Michael Brown’s civil rights. First, here are my own personal takeaways on Michael Brown.

He committed two criminal acts on that fateful night, one of which was a felony.

Based on the testimony and evidence seen by me, I would probably not…

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#Darren Wilson #Ferguson #Michael Brown #Missouri statute #robbery #Tom Jackson #U.S. Supreme Court

Why The Fuss With Keystone?

In President Obama’s State of the Union, he took a jab at supporters of the Keystone XL project when he said, “Let’s set our sights higher than a pipeline…” It has been a source of contention between environmentalists, who are concerned about the threat to climate change, and free market advocates, who believe excessive regulations hamper job creation and economic growth.

So what’s the truth?…

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#Canada #china #climate change #economic growth #Keystone XL #State Department #tradeoff #Vox

Setback In U.S. Retail Sales Temporary Blip

Even though U.S. retail sales in December were down slightly in November, the U.S. economy continues to gain momentum. While some are suggesting that this represents a chink in the armor of a reemergence of the U.S. economic engine, this is likely a temporary setback and one should fully expect our U.S. economy to continue its resurgence through the first quarter.

Here are reasons for U.S.…

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When Experts Misunderstand Unemployment Statistics

I know everyone likes a conspiracy. Obviously, hedge funds manager Kyle Bassappears to infer the government is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) ‘semi-rigged’ the unemployment statistics. In an interview on CNBC Squawk Box interview, Bass says that an improved unemployment rate is deceptive. He expects that the unemployment rate might even drop further, but it will be misleading because…

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#bureau of labor statistics #labor force #marginally attached #part-time for economic reasons #Table A-15 #unemployment rate

Providing affordable housing for our poor is quite a challenge. Erika Poethig of the Urban Institute creatively highlights the challenge ahead of us in this 3 minute video. Only 1 out of 4 eligible for housing assistance receive it due to shortage of affordable housing options and rising household expenses.

#Urban Institute #affordable housing #shortage #SupplyDemandAndGovernmentPolicies #Microeconomics

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