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☆ US economy added a whopping 272,000 jobs in May
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

At a time when Americans and the Federal Reserve are clamoring for clear-cut data about the state and trajectory of the economy, Friday’s jobs report was much more opaque than everyone had hoped. Employment fell in the household survey, while unemployment increased to just shy of 6.5 million and pushing the unemployment rate to the threshold of 4%. Service-providing industries accounted for the bulk of the month’s job gains, with health care and social assistance continuing to lead the way, with 83,500 jobs added. “Don’t get overly spooked by the rise in the unemployment rate,” Bunker wrote. “The labor market is still gliding toward a soft landing.”

Persons: ” Dean Baker, “, I’ve, Diane Swonk, ”, Wall, Chris Rupkey, FwdBonds, CEPR’s Baker, ” Baker, ” Thomas Simons, Jeffries, Nick Bunker, Bunker, “ Don’t, ” Bunker Organizations: CNN, Federal Reserve, Center for Economic, Policy Research, of Labor Statistics, KPMG, That’s, Index, Traders, BLS, Service, North America

☆ Why Friday’s jobs report could be one for the record books
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The US job market showed a softer side in April when just 175,000 jobs were added, marking one of the weakest months in the past three years. It was also well shy of economists’ expectations (for 235,000 jobs added) and sharply lower than the 315,000 net gain for March. A separate report released Thursday showed that fewer job cuts were announced in May than both the month and year before. Foreign-born workers: In addition to high labor force participation rates among prime working age individuals, specifically prime working-age women, the US labor market is benefiting from a boom in immigrant workers. Some of these workforce moves typically come at the end of the school year, meaning the May jobs report and June report could show the effects.

Persons: It’s, we’ve, Elizabeth Crofoot, ”, aren’t, Crofoot, Dean Baker, that’s, Julia Pollak, “, ” Andrew Challenger, Ryan Sweet, CEPR’s Dean Baker Organizations: CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, BLS, Center for Economic, Policy Research, “ Employers, Department of Labor, Challenger, Secondary School Emergency, Oxford Economics Locations: State

☆ European Central Bank’s Knot says monetary policy to ease ‘gradually,' as markets brace for June rate cut
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Klaas Knot, president of De Nederlandsche Bank NV, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G-20) finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Gandhinagar, India, on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — European Central Bank Governing Council member Klaas Knot said it would "soon" be time to ease monetary policy in the region, but cautioned that the process would need to be done slowly to keep inflation in check. "It can soon be appropriate to ease the currently restrictive monetary policy stance and gradually take our foot off the brake ... policy rates will slowly but gradually move into less restrictive levels," Knot, head of the central bank of the Netherlands, said at the Barclays-CEPR International Monetary Policy Forum in London Tuesday. In a Reuters poll of 82 economists this week, all said they expected a June cut. Knot, usually known for his more hawkish stance, said Tuesday there had been "clear disinflation" since the peak above 10% in late 2022, particularly in goods inflation.

Persons: Klaas Knot Organizations: De Nederlandsche Bank, Bloomberg, Getty, Central Bank Governing, Barclays, CEPR, Monetary, ECB, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Reuters Locations: Gandhinagar, India, Netherlands, London

☆ Russia's war economy isn't as resilient as reports would have you believe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That brings us to today's main story — economists say the official data coming out of Russia isn't painting an accurate picture of Putin's wartime economy. "These are the things that businesses deliver and consumers purchase in an economy, and they have been absorbing the impact. Our tracker shows a contraction of the Russian economy ahead of the official figures release precisely because we use high-frequency indicators from the private economy." Vehicle sales, imports, credit growth, home prices, and other measures all point to a much less robust regime since Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine began. These four charts tell the story of how war has reshaped Russia over the last year.

"Were dysfunction in this market to continue or worsen, there would be a material risk to UK financial stability," the central bank said in a statement that immediately eased pressures on soaring British government bond yields. The Bank of England said on Monday it would not hesitate to raise interest rates and was monitoring markets "very closely". Earlier on Wednesday 30-year British government bond yields rose above 5% for the first time since 2002. "An irresponsible, destructive fiscal policy." In his remarks on Tuesday, BoE Chief Economist Pill said financial market upheaval would have a big impact on the economy and would be factored into the Bank's next forecasts.

The Bank of England is seen, in London, Britain, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File PhotoLONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The Bank of England is likely to deliver a "significant policy response" to finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng's huge tax cuts but it should wait until its next scheduled meeting in November before making its move, BoE Chief Economist Huw Pill said. "I do want to flag clearly at this point that in my view the combination of fiscal announcements that we've seen will act as a stimulus," Pill told the Barclays-CEPR International Monetary Policy Forum in London on Tuesday. Some investors and economists have said the British central bank should hold an emergency meeting now to deliver a big interest rate hike to prop up the value of the pound and avoid further inflation pressure. The pound was higher against the dollar on Tuesday, a day after hitting a record low.

☆ UK mortgage borrowers are in for a nasty shock from soaring rates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN Business —Millions of mortgage borrowers in the United Kingdom are bracing themselves for huge hikes to their monthly payments as a consequence of the run on the pound. Markets had already been expecting the central bank to raise interest rates to 4.75% by next spring. There are 9 million outstanding residential mortgages in the United Kingdom, according to UK Finance, an association of banks and financial services firms. About 20% of those loans are tracker, or variable rate products, that typically become more expensive when the central bank hikes rates. Halifax, owned by Lloyds Bank (LLDTF), removed some of its mortgage products, while Virgin Money stopped taking mortgage applications from new customers until later this week.

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