BREAKING NEWS
US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1%
Read full article: US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1%U.S. employers added solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald Trump threatens a trade war, purges the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants.
Consumers are spending, but Wall Street and businesses expect a tighter squeeze ahead
Read full article: Consumers are spending, but Wall Street and businesses expect a tighter squeeze aheadMacy’s, Target and Dollar General are warning investors their sales will suffer this year as consumers shift spending to essentials.
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US productivity in Q4 falls by largest amount in 39 years
Read full article: US productivity in Q4 falls by largest amount in 39 yearsThe Labor Department reported that the third quarter increase in productivity was below the first estimate a month ago of a 4.9% increase. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)WASHINGTON – U.S. productivity in the October-December quarter fell by the largest amount in 39 years as the coronavirus pandemic roiled the labor market. The decline was the biggest quarterly setback since a 5.1% rate of decline in the second quarter of 1981. After falling 0.3% in the first quarter, productivity shot up at a 10.6% rate in the second quarter as millions of people lost their jobs. For all of 2020, productivity rose 2.6%, an improvement from a 1.7% gain in 2019 and an even lower 1.4% increase in 2018.