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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Job Openings Unexpectedly Rose In April
The job market was resilient in April, with job openings increasing to 7.4 million, beating forecaster expectations. Hiring rose to its fastest pace since May 2024 as employers added 5.6 million new employees. Several economists calibrated their enthusiasm about the surprisingly good data, and still anticipate tariffs will drag down the job market as the year goes on the job market has been full of surprises lately, and they've mostly been for the better: it turns out there were more job openings in April than forecasters had according to a report Tuesday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which showed U.S. employers had 7.4 million job openings that month, up from 7.2 million in March. That was more than the 7.1 million openings forecasters had anticipated, according to a survey of economists by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey report added detail to the department's previously released jobs report, which showed job creation accelerating in April, beating forecaster expectations. In addition to showing a jump in openings, employers hired 5.6 million people, the most since May 2024. Layoffs rose to 1.8 million, the highest since last October but near a historically low report, while overall upbeat, didn't do much to change the big picture of the labor market. Despite monthly ups and downs, the overall trend has been a slowdown from the post-pandemic era, when workers were in high demand. Economists expect the recent turmoil and uncertainty introduced by President Donald Trump's tariff campaign to further reduce job creation as the year progresses.'The numbers still show a gradually slowing, but stable, jobs market," Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote in a commentary. "The leap in openings reflects normal noise in the numbers, not a surge in new positions, and the hiring rate increase isn't a notable improvement, as that rate remains within the recent weak range.'Many forecasters still expect a slowdown ahead."The data suggest that U.S. employers maintained at least enough confidence to keep more jobs open in April than they had in March, whether through careful planning, strong and adaptable supply chains and/or a good amount of luck," Allison Shrivastava, an economist for the hiring lab at job site Indeed. "But just because employers managed to skate through one month does not ensure they will be able to do so indefinitely, especially as uncertainty and volatility remain heightened." Read the original article on Investopedia
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inflation Was Milder Than Expected In April
Inflation rose less than expected in April, as prices rose 2.3% over the year, down from 2.4% in March. Prices for gas and groceries fell, but housing and eating at restaurants got more expensive. Inflation was slightly milder than forecasters had expected, before consumers faced the full brunt of President Donald Trump's import accelerated in April, rebounding from an unexpected drop in March, but was slightly milder than forecasters had cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% seasonally adjusted in April from March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday, bouncing back after a 0.1% decrease in March. The uptick brought the year-over-year inflation rate to 2.3%, down from 2.4% in March, and reaching the lowest since February 2021. Forecasters expected year-over-year inflation to stay flat, according to a survey of economists by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street uptick, driven mainly by housing prices, showed inflation remained relatively tame before consumers absorbed the full brunt of President Donald Trump's import taxes, which he imposed in April. Economists expect inflation pressures to build over the course of the year as merchants pass the cost of tariffs on to got a break at the grocery store in April, as food-at-home prices fell 0.4%, though restaurant meals rose by an equal amount. Prices for natural gas and electricity rose, canceling out a drop in gasoline prices and pushing the cost of energy up 0.7% over the month."Core" prices, which exclude volatile prices for food and gas, rose 0.2% over the month, up from 0.1% in March. This leaves 12-month inflation at 2.8%, the same as in March. The median forecast had called for a 0.3% monthly increase in core inflation. Read the original article on Investopedia Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PPI Report Shows Wholesale Prices Stayed Flat In February, As Egg Prices Spiked And Gas Fell
Wholesale egg prices rose 53.6% in February from January. Gas prices dropped 4.7%, leaving an index of producer prices flat over the month. Wholesale prices are a leading indicator of consumer price inflation, but the outlook for the coming months is overshadowed by President Donald Trump's tariffs, which could push up index measuring wholesale prices was unchanged in February from January, as falling gas prices and rising egg prices canceled each other out. The Producer Price Index stayed flat in February after rising a revised 0.6% in January, as gas prices fell 4.7% and egg prices rose 53.6%. Forecasters had expected a 0.3% increase, according to a survey of economists by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street data shows inflation pressures simmering down faster than expected just before President Donald Trump roiled the inflation outlook in March by imposing, revoking, and promising an array of tariffs against U.S. trading partners that could push up prices if they are actually put into effect. Producer prices influence what consumers pay once products reach the shelves and are considered a leading indicator of consumer price changes."The moderation in February conforms with expectations that inflation is set to cool in the coming months before trade tensions start pushing prices upward, though next month's report will confirm whether February's softness was a one-off," Justin Begley, an economist at Moody's Analytics, wrote in a of cooling inflation could influence officials at the Federal Reserve, who meet next week to set the key fed funds rate, which influences borrowing costs on all kinds of loans. The Fed has held rates high to discourage spending and stifle inflation but also aims to prevent a severe rise in unemployment. Cooling inflation gives the Fed more leeway to cut rates and boost the economy if Trump's trade wars start to damage the job market. Financial markets expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady at the policy committee's meeting next week, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, which forecasts rate movements based on fed funds futures trading data. Read the original article on Investopedia Sign in to access your portfolio
