Hiring decreased just slightly in May even as consumers and companies braced against tariffs and a potentially slowing economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls rose 139,000 for the month, above the muted Dow Jones estimate for 125,000 and the downwardly revised 147,000 that the U.S. economy added in April. The unemployment … Read more
A “We’re Hiring” sign at a NC Department of Adult Correction booth at a job and resource fair hosted by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with NCWorks in Fletcher, North Carolina, US, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Allison Joyce | Bloomberg | Getty Images There seems little doubt now that hiring slowed … Read more
A store closing sign is displayed as customers shop during the last day of a store closing sale at a JOANN Fabric and Crafts location in a shopping mall following the company’s bankruptcy in Torrance, California on May 27, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. economy contracted over the past … Read more
Private sector job creation slowed to a near standstill in May, hitting its lowest level in more than two years as signs emerged of a weakening labor market, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday. Payrolls increased just 37,000 for the month, below the downwardly revised 60,000 in April and the Dow Jones forecast for 110,000. … Read more
Employers increased job openings more than expected in April while hiring and layoffs also both rose, according to a report Tuesday that showed a relatively steady labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed available jobs totaled nearly 7.4 million, an increase of 191,000 from March and higher than … Read more
Inflation barely budged in April as tariffs President Donald Trump implemented in the early part of the month had yet to show up in consumer prices, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation measure, increased just 0.1% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at … Read more
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 14, 2025. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters A top economic advisor to President Donald Trump expressed confidence Thursday that court rulings throwing out aggressive tariffs will be overturned on appeal. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, … Read more
U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, alongside Musk’s son X Æ A-Xii, speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla vehicle on the South Portico of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 11, 2025. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Elon Musk criticized the Republican spending … Read more
Consumer optimism got a much-needed boost in May on hopes for trade peace between the U.S. and China, according to a survey Tuesday. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index leaped to 98.0, a 12.3-point increase from April and much better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 86.0. Much of the positive sentiment, according to … Read more
Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee said Friday that President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats have complicated policy and likely put off changes to interest rates. In a CNBC interview, the central bank official indicated that while he still sees the direction of rates being lower, the Fed likely will be on hold as it … Read more