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☆ What to expect from the jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —If the latest employment trends continue and economists’ forecasts prove true, Friday’s jobs report could bring back that pre-pandemic feeling. Economists expect the US economy to have added 180,000 jobs in April, according to consensus estimates on Refinitiv. It could also hammer home the fact that the US labor market has indeed cooled down from its red-hot recovery over the past two years. What a rising unemployment rate meansEconomists are expecting the unemployment rate to tick up to 3.6% from 3.5%, according to Refinitiv. Mixed signalsPayroll processor ADP’s monthly look at private-sector employment activity, released two days before the BLS’ employment report, is sometimes looked at as a preview of what to expect from the federal data.

☆ Early Asos and Boohoo investor leads $10 million round in discount fashion marketplace startup Secret Sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK-based fashion marketplace startup Secret Sales has raised a $10 million Series B round. Clothing marketplace startup Secret Sales has raised $10 million in a round led by an early backer of fashion giants Asos and Boohoo despite a cooldown in investor interest in the sector. Some fast fashion retailers are under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority for supposedly greenwashing how eco-friendly their fashion lines and manufacturing efforts have been. This allows brands to connect to Secret Sales in under two weeks, while legacy outlets take up to eight weeks, Griffin added. Secret Sales' "model is not just a small niche of a market, it's a vast market, and it scales potentially globally," said Iain McDonald, founder of Belerion Capital Group.

☆ 3 indicators the job market is seeing what one economist calls an ‘unambiguous cooldown'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The job market is still hot but is clearly slowing from the scorching levels seen during much of the past two years, according to labor experts. Job openings and voluntary worker departures (or, quits) declined in March, while the layoff rate increased, according to data issued Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Two words: unambiguous cooldown," Nick Bunker, director of North American economic research at job site Indeed, said of the data in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. "If you're looking at the current temperature of the labor market, it's still strong, still hot," Bunker said. The Federal Reserve began raising borrowing costs aggressively last year to cool the economy and labor market, aiming to tame stubbornly high inflation.

☆ Inflation is falling for Americans, but it's probably not enough to slow the Fed's next interest rate decision this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This week, the Federal Reserve will likely announce the third interest rate hike this year. But a pause on interest rate hikes could be in the cards in June. There was a massive slowdown in the year-over-year percent change in the Consumer Price Index from February to March — dropping from 6.0% to 5.0%. The personal consumption expenditures price index also suggests a cooldown but is still elevated, with the year-over-year rate falling from 5.1% in February to 4.2% in March. Following the March interest rate hike, Warren wrote on Twitter that "Powell made a mistake not pausing its extreme interest rate hikes."

☆ Key Fed meeting and jobs data are ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In the spotlight are the Federal Reserve’s May meeting and the April jobs report. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will likely face questions about credit conditions, in addition to the central bank’s inflation strategy. What’s at stake with the April jobs report: Economists expect the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April jobs print to show slower employment growth last month and a rising unemployment rate. Wednesday: Federal Reserve interest rate decision, Chairman Jerome Powell’s press conference and April ADP private payroll report. Friday: April jobs report and March consumer credit.

☆ Wall St surges as inflation, labor data raise Fed pause hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Data released before the bell showed a steeper-than-expected cooldown in producer prices and new claims for jobless benefits coming in above consensus. Both signal that the Fed's hawkish barrage of rate hikes, which began over a year ago, is working as intended. Analysts expect aggregate first-quarter S&P 500 earnings to come in 5.2% below the year-ago quarter, a stark reversal from the 1.4% year-on-year growth seen at the beginning of the quarter, according to Refinitiv. Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, communication services (.SPLRCL) was up the most, while industrials (.SPLRCI) and materials (.SPLRCM), outperformers in recent sessions, suffered the steepest percentage declines. The S&P 500 posted eight new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 58 new highs and 121 new lows.

☆ US wholesale inflation saw dramatic cooldown in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Minneapolis CNN —US inflation at the wholesale level continued its downward slide in March with annualized price increases sinking dramatically to 2.7% from 4.6%, according to the Producer Price Index released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a monthly basis, producer prices slumped by 0.5%. Economists were expecting annual inflation, as measured by the PPI, to land at 3% for the 12 months ended in March and for no change from the month before. This story is developing and will be updated.

☆ Inflation beds down, gets comfortable
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Price growth is now fueled more by non-essentials, like air fares and new cars, than food and energy. That’s a problem, since those core prices are historically less volatile and therefore less likely to drop. As costs edge higher, Americans will probably have to endure a longer, and more expensive, inflation battle. Core inflation is now outpacing broader CPI by the widest margin since the pandemic began, signaling those sticky prices that rarely drop are playing a bigger part in keeping inflation high. High core inflation means the Federal Reserve will probably raise rates again next month, making money even more expensive for households and businesses.

☆ Wall St ends mixed as inflation data comes into focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The bellwether S&P 500 ended essentially unchanged. "With huge inflation data tomorrow, Fed minutes coming out soon and earnings right around the corner, traders are taking a wait and see approach to see how the inflation data comes in." Analysts expect aggregate first-quarter S&P 500 earnings falling 5.2% year-on-year, a stark reversal from the 1.4% annual growth seen at the beginning of the quarter. Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, communication services (.SPLRCL) and tech (.SPLRCT) ended in the red, while energy (.SPNY) and financials (.SPSY) enjoyed the largest percentage gains. The S&P 500 posted nine new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 64 new highs and 118 new lows.

☆ S&P 500 edges higher as investors look to CPI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With a lack of market moving catalysts, investors looked ahead to Wednesday's consumer price index (CPI) for any evidence that the long, slow inflation cooldown continues. Beyond CPI, investors are eyeing first-quarter reporting season, which surges from the starting gate this Friday with results from three major banks, Citigroup Inc (C.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N). Analysts expect aggregate first-quarter S&P 500 earnings falling 5.2% year-on-year, a stark reversal from the 1.4% annual growth seen at the beginning of the quarter. Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, energy (.SPNY) and materials (.SPLRCM) were enjoying the biggest percentage gains, while communication services (.SPLRCL) and tech (.SPLRCT) were in the red. The S&P 500 posted eight new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 56 new highs and 86 new lows.

☆ Wall Street says bad news is no longer good news. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —There’s been a seismic shift in investor perspective: Bad news is no longer good news. Markets teetered after a slew of economic reports signaled that the red-hot labor market is finally cooling (more on that later), flashing warning signals across Wall Street. Now that Wall Street is in “bad news is bad news and good news is good news” mode, it will be looking for signs that the economy remains resilient. President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday that the March data is “a good jobs report for hard-working Americans.”The March jobs report revealed that US employers added a lower-than-expected 236,000 jobs last month. The jobs report was also the first one in 12 months that came in below expectations.

☆ The Fed’s favorite inflation measure cooled in February
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 5% for the 12 months ended in February, lower than January’s downwardly revised 5.3% gain, the Commerce Department reported Friday. In January, the core PCE index was up 4.7% year-over-year. Consensus estimates from economists forecast the core PCE index would rise 0.4% from the prior month and 4.7% year over year. PCE, specifically the core measurement, is the Fed’s favored inflation gauge since it provides a more complete picture of costs for consumers. Consumer spending rose 0.2% in February, representing a sharp cooldown from January’s hot reading of 1.8%, according to the report.

☆ Stock futures are flat Thursday evening: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 29, 2023. U.S. stock futures were flat on Thursday night. S&P 500 futures rose 0.03%, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell by less than 0.01%. "The semiconductors, [which] have come to be viewed as an important bellwether for global growth, delivered a strong performance," Krosby continued. "Economic concerns enveloping recession fears haven't vanished as the yield curve still represents a counter to the market's climb higher," Krosby added.

The retailer had been working to steer itself back to profitability, and got there in part by cutting costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses came in at $453.4 million for the quarter, or 20.4% of sales, compared to $538.9 million, or 23.9% of sales, in the year-earlier period. GameStop did not provide financial guidance and has not done so since the early days of the pandemic. For the quarter ended Jan. 28 , net sales dropped slightly to $2.23 billion from $2.25 billion in last year's fourth quarter. "GameStop is a much healthier business today than it was at the start of 2021," he said.

☆ Inflation cooled down again in February as the Fed wrestles with the Silicon Valley Bank failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The consumer price index rose 6.0% year-over-year in February, less than January's year-over-year change of 6.4%. The cooldown should be welcome news to the Fed as it prepares for its interest rate decision next week. According to Tuesday's consumer price index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI soared 6.0% year-over-year in February. More specifically, the change for the index for food at home was 10.2%, higher than the year-over-year change of 8.4% for food away from home. The Fed will also have to confront a new round of financial turmoil after regulators recently closed Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

☆ CPI report: Inflation fell for eighth-straight month in February
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Minneapolis CNN —Inflation remains elevated but the temperature is coming down, according to the latest Consumer Price Index. It’s the eighth consecutive month that the annual rate has declined, and marks the lowest level since September 2021. On a monthly basis, prices were up 0.4%, representing a cooldown from the January monthly growth rate of 0.5%. Despite some broader declines, Tuesday’s CPI report shows that it may take longer for the inflation rate to reach the Fed’s desired 2% target, wrote Sinem Buber, lead economist at ZipRecruiter. On the one hand, it wants to maintain credibility on inflation and avoid core inflation accelerating further.

☆ Homebuyers have a better shot at scoring a house in 10 cities where the number of properties for sale has skyrocketed the most
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

There are more homes for sale than last year in many cities across the country as the market cools. More properties on the market typically means less competition and an easier time scoring home. But a silver lining to the housing cooldown has emerged: homebuyers have more properties to choose from in many cities across the country. It's not because builders have constructed a slew of new homes or that more owners are listing their properties for sale. Realtor.com calculated the US cities where there are significantly more homes on the market than last year.

☆ Jim Cramer sees signs of easing in food and wage inflation, but housing stays hot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday explained why inflation has been so persistent for food, housing, and wages, but said there are signs of progress. FoodHigh food prices reflect the supply squeeze driven by cutting off Russia after it invaded Ukraine, along with obstacles like tough weather and bad harvests. But for Cramer, Walmart offered some hope. Since Walmart can price its "Great Value" products at such steep discounts relative to the name brands, Cramer said he's "a lot less worried about food inflation." WagesUnionization and hiring struggles have put an expensive price tag on labor, but Cramer said the Fed might be on the right track.

☆ Consumer sentiment rises to 13-month high on strong jobs report, lower inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The preliminary consumer sentiment index for February increased to 66.4 from 64.9 in January, the university reported Friday. The survey also showed that consumers are expecting inflation to remain high in the near term. One-year inflation expectations increased to 4.2% from 3.9% in January. Long-run inflation expectations held steady at 2.9% for the third consecutive month. Inflation expectations are crucial data points for the Federal Reserve.

☆ Freeport to restart liquefaction train at Texas LNG export plant this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG, the second-biggest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, said on Friday it plans to restart one of three liquefaction trains at its long-idled Texas export plant this week. Liquefaction trains turn natural gas into LNG for export. In a filing with Texas environmental regulators, Freeport said it "anticipates the purge and restart of Liquefaction Train 3 will begin on Feb. 3 with Trains 2 and 1 following sequentially." The Freeport plant shut after a fire in June 2022. Despite the planned Freeport restart, however, U.S. gas futures fell about 3% to a 25-month low on Friday due to forecasts for milder weather in February.

☆ Levi Strauss beats estimates, offers upbeat guidance for fiscal year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Levi Strauss on Wednesday posted earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street's expectations. Shares of the company rose in after-hours trading as the company also offered upbeat sales guidance for its new fiscal year. Levi has been grappling with a slowdown in discretionary spending and a reduced demand for denim, leading some analysts to downgrade the stock. Europe will remain a strong focus for Levi in the coming fiscal quarter, Bergh said. Wall Street is estimating $6.27 billion in sales and $1.35 earnings per share.

☆ Wall Street 2023 Predictions Already Wrong: Recession, Inflation, China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Across Wall Street, finance workers of all stripes are returning to work after skiing, gallivanting around the Caribbean, or just visiting Mom for the holiday season. Of course, there's some uncertainty in all this, and Wall Street could still be proved right. Already some Wall Street economists are revising their predictions given the strong economy, even if they're not backing off their priors quite yet. It may take years to get the Chinese consumer, on which Wall Street has placed so many hopes, back to the strength of yesteryear. Don't hatchet your chickens before they countTo be fair, not every Wall Street analyst is looking sheepish right now.

☆ Just how bad was the war in Ukraine for Europe’s biggest economy last year?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —Germany’s economy grew slightly last year despite battling an energy crisis sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The bank predicts the German economy will stagnate this year, rather than decline, as it had previously forecast. Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty ImagesEither way, it’s welcome news for Europe’s biggest economy. “The German economy has been more resilient than initially feared,” Jan-Christopher Scherer, a research associate at DIW Berlin, told CNN. About 40% of German companies expect business to decline in 2023, and another 35% think it will stagnate, according to a November survey of 2,500 firms conducted by the German Economic Institute.

☆ Bitcoin jumps above $18,000 to highest level in a month, as FTX lawyers recover $5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Bitcoin on Thursday surged to its highest price in nearly a month, as traders bet on an U.S. inflation cooldown and digest news that lawyers for defunct crypto exchange FTX found billions of dollars' worth of assets, boosting hopes for its users. On Wednesday, attorneys for collapsed crypto exchange FTX said they had found around $5 billion in "liquid" assets, including cash and digital assets. The recovery will be a welcome boon to FTX customers after the crypto exchange imploded in November. FTX lawyers nevertheless warned the $5 billion cache was so high that selling the assets could lead to significant downside pressure on the market, driving down their value. "This could also mean that the market thinks the worst is over for crypto and that most negative news in now priced in."

☆ UK PM reportedly restarts talks with SoftBank about listing Arm in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

SoftBank has stopped working on a London initial public offering for chip designer Arm because of political upheaval in the British government, the Financial Times reported. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reportedly reopened negotiations with the CEOs of SoftBank and Arm, in a renewed attempt to have the chip designer list its shares in London. Sunak is the third British prime minister to try to convince SoftBank to list its Arm division in the U.K. since a proposed buyout of Arm by Nvidia was scrapped. In May, former PM Boris Johnson wrote to SoftBank appealing for the Japanese firm to list Arm in London. With 6,000 staff globally and 3,000 in the U.K., Arm is widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of the British tech industry.

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