Posts by Samantha Masey

The labor market rebounded in April after a blizzard in early March resulted in a weak report in the prior month.  The economy produced 211,000 new jobs in April, which was above the 190,000 estimate economists had expected for the month.  Hiring was broad based across all major categories for the month. Consequently, the unemployment…

The initial release of economic activity for the first quarter came out today slightly below consensus estimates, as the U.S. economy expanded at the lowest pace in three years.  U.S. GDP rose 0.7% for the quarter versus an expectation of 1% growth, down from 2.1% growth in the Fourth Quarter 2016.  Consumer spending grew only…

The labor market took a pause in March, where weather may have played a factor.  Economists expected an increase of 175,000 jobs, while the Department of Labor reported an increase of only 98,000 jobs. Hiring in the construction sector was down significantly, which may have been impacted by the Labor Department survey coming out the…

Last week the Federal Reserve voted to raise their benchmark rate by 0.25%, moving from .5% to 0.75%. This was third rate hike in a little more than a year, and the second since December 2016. The last time the Fed raised rates at consecutive quarterly meetings was back in 2006, when they increased rates…

The labor market picked up in the first full month of the new administration.  Economists expected an increase of 197,000 jobs for the month, while the Department of Labor reported an increase of 235,000 jobs.  Gains were seen across most categories, with retail suffering the only decline for the month.  The construction sector experienced a…