US Economy News and Headlines
US Economy News and Headlines
The U.S. construction sector added 26,000 jobs in March, lifting year‑over‑year employment by 57,000 positions, a 0.7% increase. Nonresidential construction drove the bulk of the gain, contributing 12,200 jobs across building, specialty trade, and heavy civil categories. The industry’s unemployment rate eased to 6.7%, still above the 4.3% overall rate. ABC’s chief economist warns that higher oil, diesel prices and rising treasury yields could temper the optimism reflected in the Construction Confidence Index.
The March jobs report showed the unemployment rate slipping to 4.3% as non‑farm payrolls rose by 178,000, outpacing expectations. February’s employment figures were revised down to a loss of 133,000, highlighting volatility in recent labor data. Wage growth eased to...
During the 2024 campaign, Trump and Vance claimed mass deportations would free jobs for Americans. Recent labor data contradicts that promise: the three‑month average unemployment rate for U.S.-born workers rose to 4.3% in 2026, up from 4.0% in 2024. Economic...
The U.S. labor market added 178,000 jobs in March, pulling the unemployment rate down to 4.3%. Health care, construction, and transportation and warehousing posted the strongest gains, while the movies and music sectors shed 1,100 jobs. The Bureau of Labor...
U.S. Treasury prices slipped after March employment numbers outperformed expectations, pushing yields up three to four basis points across the curve. The robust jobs report reinforced the view that the labor market is stabilizing, prompting traders to discard bets on...
U.S. non‑farm payrolls surged by 178,000 in March, far outpacing the 60,000 jobs analysts expected. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% versus a forecast of 4.4%, while average hourly earnings rose 0.2% month‑over‑month and 3.5% year‑over‑year, slightly above expectations....
The U.S. non‑farm payroll (NFP) report is being released on Good Friday, a day when U.S. equity and bond markets are closed. Despite the holiday, the data will still drive market sentiment, with S&P 500 futures already down 17 points....
US labor market showed signs of cooling in February as job openings dropped to 6.9 million, the lowest level in months. Private payroll growth slowed to an average of 18,000 jobs per month while layoffs held steady, indicating employers are pausing...
On Thursday, April 2, Fox Business aired a special episode of Larry Kudlow's program, featuring a roundtable on domestic and global economic policies. The show highlighted a presidential address and an interview with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi focusing...
The average 30‑year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.46% on Thursday, according to Freddie Mac, marking a five‑week streak of increases and the highest level since early September. The climb follows a dip below 6% earlier in the year, which was...
The Federal Reserve kept its policy rate unchanged at 3.5‑3.75 % after the March 2026 meeting, with only one dissenting vote for a cut. The latest dot‑plot shows 12 of 19 policymakers still expect at least one more reduction this year,...
Dallas Fed President Logan said he remains unconvinced that inflation is easing sufficiently, even before the Ukraine war escalated. He highlighted the difficulty of forecasting amid geopolitical uncertainty, but noted that a swift war resolution could limit economic damage. Logan stressed...
The U.S. trade deficit widened 4.9% in February, reaching $57.3 billion as a 4.3% jump in imports offset a record‑high $314.8 billion export total. Imports were buoyed by AI‑related capital equipment, while goods exports surged 5.9% to an all‑time high. The goods...
The median forecast for March 2026 non‑farm payrolls predicts a gain of 60,000 jobs, a sharp rebound after February’s 92,000‑job decline. This estimate far exceeds the 12‑month average increase of 13,000, indicating a potential turnaround in hiring momentum. Unemployment is expected...
The International Monetary Fund’s latest Article IV review finds U.S. inflation on track to meet the Federal Reserve’s 2 % target in early 2027, but signals minimal room for rate cuts this year. IMF staff project only a single policy rate reduction...
U.S. employers announced 60,620 job cuts in March, a 25% increase from February but still 78% lower than March 2025. Technology, transportation and healthcare accounted for the highest cuts, with technology up 40% YoY and transportation soaring 703% YoY. Artificial...
Search interest in “stagflation 2026” has surged 650% as the U.S. economy shows signs of stagnation and rising inflation, highlighted by a 92,000‑job loss in February and a 40% recession probability. Analysts point to oil price spikes as the likely...
The Trump administration is poised to issue an order that would levy a 100% tariff on imports of patented medicines and their active pharmaceutical ingredients. A draft of the order suggests the tariffs could be announced as early as Thursday,...
A new study in Nature Human Behaviour finds that states that ended pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) in summer 2021 saw sharp spikes in COVID‑19 outcomes. Weekly case rates rose by 0.18 percentage points, hospitalizations increased by 0.18 per 1,000, and deaths grew...
In February 2026 Black unemployment rates were nearly identical—7.0% for men and 7.1% for women—yet both far exceed the national adult average of about 4%. Black women accounted for the larger share of employed Black adults (10.6 million versus 9.4 million men)...
U.S. retail sales rebounded in February, climbing 0.6% from January after three months of decline. Clothing sales led the recovery, rising 2% month‑over‑month and 6% year‑over‑year. Department stores posted a 3% gain and health‑and‑personal‑care stores rose 2.3% month‑over‑month. The uptick...
The Institute for Supply Management’s March 2026 Manufacturing PMI rose to 52.7, the strongest reading since August 2022 and a modest gain over February. New orders slowed while production stayed robust, and the employment index remained in contraction territory. The...
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michele Bowman unveiled a proposed capital framework that could free up to $100 billion for small‑business lending by lowering risk‑weightings on bank assets under Basel III. The change targets community and regional banks that hold roughly...
ADP’s March payroll report shows 62,000 private‑sector jobs added, surpassing the 39,000 forecast. Small firms with fewer than 50 employees drove the surge, creating about 85,000 positions, while large corporations lost 4,000 jobs. Education and healthcare led hiring with 58,000...
U.S. manufacturing showed unexpected strength in March as the ISM Manufacturing index rose to 52.7, the highest level since August 2022 and above consensus forecasts. Production accelerated to 55.1, buoyed by a solid backlog of new orders, while new‑order sentiment...
ADP reported that private‑sector payroll added 62,000 jobs in March, with small businesses (1‑19 employees) accounting for 112,000 of those positions. While firms with 20‑49 and 50‑249 employees shed jobs, larger establishments added modest gains, resulting in a net increase...
United States retail sales in February rose 0.6% month‑over‑month to $738.4 billion, marking a 3.7% increase year‑over‑year. Non‑store retailers, led by e‑commerce, posted a 7.5% annual gain while food services rose 5.2%. The National Retail Federation (NRF) now forecasts 2026 retail...
U.S. job openings fell to 6.9 million in February, down from 7.2 million in January, while quits dropped to the lowest level since August 2020. Gross hires slipped to 4.85 million, the fewest since April 2020, pushing the hiring rate to 3.1 percent, also a pandemic‑era...
The Iran‑Russia war has reignited a supply‑side shock, pushing 10‑year Treasury yields up about 35 basis points to roughly 4.30%, the steepest monthly decline since President Trump returned to the White House. The closure of the Hormuz Strait, which carries...
Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington is pushing a plan to fund up to $200 billion for the Iran war and stricter immigration enforcement by reviving cost‑sharing health‑care reductions. The Congressional Budget Office estimates these cuts could save $30 billion but...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly nonfarm payroll reports have become increasingly unreliable, with initial figures routinely overstating job growth and subsequent revisions pulling numbers down sharply. Over the past year, the amplitude of these revisions has surged, prompting concerns...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that construction job openings fell to 202,000 in February, down from 230,000 in January and 255,000 a year earlier. Overall U.S. job openings slipped to 6.88 million, a decline from January’s 7.24 million. The...
The Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Index fell 4.9 points to 52.8 in March, marking the third consecutive month of expansion despite missing the 54.8 forecast. A reading above 50 signals growth, but the decline suggests weakening momentum. Historically, 52.8 is lower...
The March 2026 jobs report is expected to show a further slowdown, with total job gains likely falling below the already‑weak three‑month average of 8,000. Health care and social assistance should remain the only sector posting net hires, while restaurants...
The Boston Federal Reserve’s new paper shows that a one‑percentage‑point rise in credit‑card APR cuts overall card spending by about nine percent, roughly $74 per consumer each month, and up to fifteen percent for balance‑carrying borrowers, especially lower‑income households. Average...
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Harvard students that the United States’ $39 trillion national debt is not immediately unsustainable, but the current fiscal trajectory is. He warned that debt is growing faster than the economy, pushing the debt‑to‑GDP ratio toward...
Health care hiring remains a primary engine of U.S. job growth, projected to add 693,000 positions by 2025. Without those additions, the broader economy would lose roughly 570,000 jobs, highlighting a stark labor gap. Viventium’s acquisition of Apploi positions the...
Jeffrey Sherman of DoubleLine told CNBC that soaring oil prices are effectively creating a self‑inflicted rate hike, urging the Federal Reserve to look beyond commodity‑driven inflation and focus on labor‑market dynamics. He cautioned against aggressive cuts to the federal‑funds rate,...
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told a Harvard audience that private‑credit markets are experiencing a correction but pose no immediate contagion risk to the broader financial system. He said the Fed is closely monitoring any links to banks and finds...
The U.S. Treasury yield curve, which has been flattening throughout 2026, showed a modest steepening on Friday as the 5‑year note held at 4.07% and the 30‑year bond nudged up to 4.98% by market close. The move came after bullish...
Treasury yields slipped as President Trump hinted at progress in peace talks and investors turned to upcoming labor data. The 10‑year yield fell to about 4.37% and the two‑year to 3.86% early, later adjusting to roughly 4.40% and 3.89% per...
Markets have shifted from expecting Federal Reserve cuts to pricing in rate hikes for 2026. The CME FedWatch Tool now shows about a 30% chance rates will end the year higher than the current 3.50‑3.75% range, while odds of cuts...
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The analysis ranks average annual unemployment rates for U.S. presidents from Truman through Biden, noting that Lyndon B. Johnson posted the lowest post‑World War II average at 4.18% while Gerald Ford recorded the highest at 7.76%. It explains that unemployment is...
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The Producer Price Index (PPI) measures price changes at the wholesale level, capturing the cost producers receive for goods and services. It is published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is broken into crude, intermediate, and core...
U.S. employment is projected to rebound in March after February’s sharp 92,000‑job loss, the steepest payroll decline since the pandemic began. Bloomberg’s median survey predicts roughly 60,000 new jobs for the month, while the unemployment rate is expected to hold...
Andrew Bary described the past week on Wall Street as "ugly," highlighting a sharp decline in major equity indexes and heightened volatility. The S&P 500 slipped more than 3% as investors reacted to the Federal Reserve’s hawkish tone and weaker...
U.S. consumer confidence slipped 6% in March, reaching its lowest level since December, as gasoline prices rose to an average $3.98 per gallon—a full dollar increase from the prior month. The University of Michigan’s survey shows short‑run economic outlook plunging...
The 10‑Year Treasury yield, which peaked above 5% in late 2023, has rebounded to roughly 4.4% after a dip to 3.8% in August 2024, reflecting lingering inflation and geopolitical risks. The Federal Reserve has held rates steady this year, but...
Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor backed by President Trump, is poised for a contentious nomination as Federal Reserve chair. He advocates rapid rate cuts despite $100‑a‑barrel oil prices and rising inflation forecasts, while also promising to slash the Fed’s...
The Federal Reserve voted 4‑3 to grant Morgan Stanley an exception allowing its German investment bank to be folded into its U.S. holding company, sidestepping Section 23A limits on foreign affiliate ownership. All three Democratic board members dissented, arguing the move...
