Employment remains the paramount concern – for the economy, for the Fed, and for financial markets. There are many employment indicators, but that can be more confusing than helpful. Rarely is there a consistent picture. Can we find more clarity about employment? Last Week’s Theme Recap I expected last week’s theme to be focused on […]
Housing data have clearly hit a soft patch. How much of the deceleration is important? How much can be attributed to weather? Most importantly: Does weakness in housing threaten the economic recovery? What does it mean for stocks? [note to readers. I always try for weekend publication, but sometimes I cannot work then. The links […]
For many skeptical observers, the big employment theme for this year has been an assertion that new jobs were of low quality and mostly part-time. This theme resonated with those who want to disparage economic growth, including sellers of political themes, gold, page views, fear, and related (high-commission) products. All of these sources pounded the […]