The health care sector remains 500,000 jobs below its pre-pandemic peak. Many have left the labor market to tend for families, care for children or because of concern for their own safety. … READ MORE >
Covid-19
CHART OF THE DAY: Estimating unemployment during the pandemic
Friday’s headline U3 unemployment rate of 6.7% for December is probably an undercount of the number of out-of-work people in the United States, not by design, but because of the peculiar circumstances of the pandemic. … READ MORE >
U.S. December employment report: Temporary stall in hiring
Hiring in the American economy declined by 140,000 in December as firms felt the effects of the six-month delay by the political sector in providing fiscal aid to the public, and the subsequent pulling back in economic activity. … READ MORE >
5 things to know this week in life sciences: Week of Jan. 4
In this week’s industry roundup, we look at recent drug price increases, the ongoing battle over 340B program discounts, key catalysts in Q1 for middle market biotech companies, and more. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: 10-year Treasury yield pushes above 1%
Yields broke past 1% overnight Tuesday and traded in a range on Wednesday. They did not move sharply following the civil unrest in Washington. We expect the 10-year yield to end the year at 1.29%, which is up from the 1.073% at the time of this writing. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims: Still elevated as another benefits cliff looms
First-time jobless claims held steady at 787,000 for the week ending Jan. 2, while the number of those claiming unemployment benefits stands at 19.1 million, the Labor Department reported Thursday. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Residential construction spending remains robust
Residential spending has been rising since February 2019, increasing by nearly 18% on a year-over-year basis in November. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: U.S. manufacturing activity finishes the year strong
The ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index registered 60.7 in December, its eighth straight month of expansion, and 3.2 points above the 57.5 reading in November. … READ MORE >
December payroll preview: State and local government employment to continue contracting
We anticipate a decline of 75,000 jobs in total U.S. employment and an increase in the unemployment rate to 6.8% when the jobs report is released Friday. … READ MORE >
RSM US Manufacturing Outlook Index remains positive, but within a range
Optimism in the American manufacturing community is poised to continue in the new year, though with some caution attached. It is clear that the risks around the pandemic are rising and we may observe volatility in manufacturing indices until the bottlenecks around vaccine distribution are solved. … READ MORE >