U.S. consumers a bit less optimistic about economy
American consumers are still feeling good current economic conditions by historical standards.
American consumers are still feeling good current economic conditions by historical standards.
The Indianapolis-based health system is under pressure from parent Ascension to cut costs, and has signaled in recent months that it plans to transform its delivery system.
U.S. employers extended a streak of solid hiring in May, adding 223,000 jobs. The unemployment rate matched the rate in April 2000 as the lowest since 1969.
For many Indianapolis residents, the problem isn't finding work. It's landing employment that pays enough to lift them from poverty and provides a financial cushion to absorb daily life's inevitable setbacks.
The overall unemployment rate is now the lowest since December 2000. The rate for African-Americans—6.6 percent—is the lowest on record since 1972.
U.S. employers added 103,000 jobs in March after several months of bigger gains, though the government’s overall jobs report suggests the labor market remains healthy.
Economists have forecast that employers added a solid 185,000 jobs in March and that the unemployment rate dipped from 4.1 percent to a fresh 17-year low of 4 percent. Was that enough to boost pay?
The Commerce Department said February’s modest spending increase followed an equal gain in January and a rise of 0.4 percent in December.
The U.S. economy grew at a solid 2.9 percent annual rate in the final three months of last year, a sharp upward revision that shows a third straight quarter of healthy growth.
Consumer prices increased at 0.2 percent pace in February, underscoring that inflation pressures appear to be muted for now.
For the year, GDP rose 2.3 percent, a significant pick-up from 1.5 percent in 2016, which had been the slowest annual growth rate since the economy contracted in the recession year of 2009.
A wave of fear about inflation and higher interest rates helped send stock prices tumbling Friday and Monday. Yet the rush of anxiety has obscured a fundamental fact about the U.S. economy: It's healthy.
The pay gains suggest that employers are increasingly competing for a limited pool of workers. Raises stemming from minimum wage increases in 18 states also likely boosted pay last month.
As 2018 gets under way, investors are wondering whether the good times will continue to roll. Some financial pros are optimistic, thanks to the economy’s robust growth and the anticipated stimulative effects of the GOP’s newly passed tax-reform plan.
With the economy expanding at a solid pace and businesses confident about future demand, hiring is expected to remain solid going forward.
Job gains in December were modest, but still enough to suggest that the economy entered the new year with solid momentum.
Steady economic growth is encouraging more hiring. The unemployment rate is at a 17-year low of 4.1 percent.
The Commerce Department reported better-than-expected U.S. retail sales for November and revised its October figures upward, bringing a fresh wave of optimism to a long-embattled industry.
Friday's jobs report made clear that the U.S. economy is on firm footing and is likely benefiting from more resilient global growth, with all major economies across the world expanding in tandem for the first time in a decade.
The company's revenue from China, including joint ventures, rose 46 percent in the latest quarter.