Iran war exposes weakness of US ‘no-hire’ economy

chart

ORLANDO, Florida, April 2 (Reuters) – US job growth is slowing to a halt. If this was tolerable to policymakers or acceptable to investors before the Iran war, it should not be now. The labor market has been struggling for some time, but this has been overshadowed by the unemployment rate, which has come down, … Read more

The US labor market remains stable; trade deficit increases in February

Trade balance

Weekly jobless claims fall 9,000 to 202,000 Continuing claims add 25,000 to 1.841 million The trade deficit widened by 4.9% to $57.3 billion in February WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – New claims for U.S. jobless benefits fell sharply last week to a record low, suggesting labor market conditions remained calm in March, even as economists … Read more

US retail sales strong in February; an increase in the price of petrol will affect spending

Column chart titled 'Monthly change in US retail sales'

Retail sales increased by 0.6% in February Basic sales earn 0.5%; a large tax refund guarantees spending Production increases in March, but the supply chain continues to deteriorate WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) – U.S. retail prices rose by the most in seven months in February as car prices rose and temperatures soared, but rising gasoline … Read more