The U.S. economy added 216,000 jobs in December, closing out an extraordinary year that saw an increase of 2.7 million in total employment and a record 167 million Americans employed. … READ MORE >
Federal Reserve
U.S. income and spending see strong gains as year nears an end
November had a 0.4% increase in nominal income and spending, while inflation-adjusted spending advanced at a 0.3% pace, according to Commerce Department data released on Friday. … READ MORE >
U.S. retail sales grew by more than expected in November
Sales increased by 0.3% on the month or by 5.9% on a three-month moving average annualized pace. … READ MORE >
Fed signals end of rate hikes and projects cuts in 2024
The Federal Reserve signaled at its meeting on Wednesday that it is done raising its policy rate and is poised to reduce it by 75 basis points next year, with more cuts after that. … READ MORE >
U.S. November Consumer Price Index: Inflation continues to abate
Inflation continued to abate in November as energy prices declined by 2.3% and gasoline prices dropped by 6%, resulting in a 0.1% monthly advance in the CPI. … READ MORE >
America’s real economy in 2024: A webinar from RSM US and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Join RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Neil Bradley on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 1 p.m. eastern for a wide-ranging conversation on America’s real economy. … READ MORE >
U.S. November jobs report: This is what a soft landing looks like
Through November this year, the American economy has produced 2.58 million jobs as inflation has eased from 6.4% to 3.2% all while the unemployment rate has remained below 4%. … READ MORE >
FOMC preview and the logic of Fed rate cuts in 2024
After nearly two years of raising the federal funds policy rate to restore price stability, the Federal Reserve is poised to all but declare that campaign to be over at its meeting next week. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims remain resilient
Initial jobless claims inched up slightly to 220,000 last week, remaining within the pre-pandemic level, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. … READ MORE >
Job openings fall to lowest level since 2021, signaling Fed pivot
With 8.7 million job openings in October, the vacancies-to-unemployed ratio has fallen to 1.34, only slightly higher than the pre-pandemic average of around 1.24 … READ MORE >