These days it feels as if every piece of economic news comes with a qualifier. However, one statistic has had an unqualified, enduring positive run: the rise in worker productivity, which bodes well for investors, employees and -- eventually -- job-seekers.
With the economic recovery gaining steam, President Obama's State of the Union address -- and the GOP response -- should be seen as a shift to a less activist approach. Feel-good rhetoric may be wiser than heavy-handed policies that could easily backfire.
The economy and job creation will be the focus of Obama's speech -- as they should be. But behind the pessimistic hand-wringing and political posturing is a surprising rebound, and jobs are steadily being added.
There's no way to sugarcoat it: The U.S. job deficit is huge, and it will take years to fix. But investors shouldn't become too pessimistic. America's economy has the capacity to adapt and renew itself faster than many folks expect.
Many Wall Street pundits are surprisingly bullish about the U.S. economy for 2011, but high unemployment continues to ravage Main Street. Still, with corporate profits booming and the stock market rallying, some indicators say jobs may finally be poised for a comeback, too.
December%u2019s unexpected dip in consumer confidence shows both the impact of the deep 2007-2009 recession and the relationship of job creation to consumer attitudes.
The economy added just 39,000 jobs in November -- substantially less than expected. And the jobless rate rose to 9.8%. The report shows that despite a year of GDP growth, America still hasn't overcome its worst job drought in decades.
The consumer sentiment index rose a better than expected 3.9 points in November to 71.6 -- its highest level since June, as Americans sensed modest improvement in the job market. Its still below historic norms, though, and sustained job growth will be needed to send America's mood higher.
The long period of large monthly losses appears to be ending, as the private sector added 43,000 jobs in October, according to ADP's latest report. And September's job loss was greatly revised, from an initial estimate of 39,000 down to just 2,000.
Consumer sentiment dipped to 67.2 in October -- its lowest reading in about a year. There%u2019s no mystery behind consumers%u2019 protracted melancholy mood: Economic uncertainty. Sentiment is not likely to rise until Americans are certain job market conditions are improving and their incomes are rising.
CNBC's Larry Kudlow blogged Tuesday that the a GOP win in November's elections would create an explosion of U.S. job creation. One of his guests that day on The Kudlow Report was DailyFinance's Peter Cohan, who breaks down precisely why that rhetoric doesn't match reality.
The private sector created 67,000 jobs in August, more than the 40,000 gain economists had forecast. And job-loss totals for June and July were revised substantially downward. The jobless rate ticked up to 9.6% as more people started looking for jobs.
In a new survey, economists say the U.S. government should focus on promoting economic growth rather than reducing the deficit in the near term. However, 75% of them oppose another stimulus package.
As he addresses the nation%u2019s weak economy, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke doesn%u2019t just face the traditional risks of rising inflation or an economic stall, but a polarized, caustic political climate that will make creative solutions even harder to propose, let alone implement.
The number of job openings at businesses fell again in July, suggesting that employment growth will continue to struggle for at least a few more months, if not longer.