Tag: employment

November 6, 2020

October marked the sixth straight month of post-pandemic employment gains, as the economy added 638,000 jobs and the nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent, a point below September’s 7.9 percent and far lower than the record-shattering, COVID-induced 14.7 percent […]

September 15, 2020

More than one-third of the American workforce freelance amid the Covid-19 pandemic, contributing $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy, a study by Upwork revealed Tuesday. This was a 22% increase since 2019 and it was fueled in part by an […]

August 20, 2020

U.S. stocks opened modestly lower on Thursday after a weekly jobless benefit claims report suggested the recovery in employment was flagging. After the S&P 500 index achieved its record close earlier this week, investors have become more angst-ridden about pricey […]

March 23, 2020

During the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve was stung by criticism that its lending programs to get credit flowing in the economy benefitted Wall Street not Main Street. Former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, in an unprecedented effort to counter […]

February 25, 2020

The numbers: Americans began 2020 with the most confidence in the economy since last summer, buoyed by an interim trade deal with China, a soaring stock market and the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. The closely followed index of […]

February 5, 2020

The numbers: The huge services side of the U.S. economy that employs most Americans grew in January at the fastest pace since last summer, with many companies saying they got off to a good start at the beginning of the […]

January 9, 2020

The U.S. economy probably added enough new jobs last month to push employment gains in 2019 above 2 million for the ninth straight year, but the pace of hiring is slowing. Here’s what to watch in the U.S. Labor Department’s […]

December 20, 2019

The numbers: The pace of growth in the U.S. economy was left at 2.1% in the third quarter, as strong consumer spending was offset by weaker business investment in inventories, in the final estimate from the Commerce Department on Friday. […]

June 18, 2019

Federal Reserve officials have spoken approvingly of the idea of “insurance” interest-rate cuts that could be enough to shore up financial markets and keep the expansion on track. “Now, if you look back at Fed history– I’m not looking to […]

May 10, 2019

Rising inequality could be a factor behind sluggish growth in the U.S. economy in the wake of the financial crisis, said Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard on Friday. Consumer spending remains the main engine of growth in the U.S., and […]

March 25, 2019

The numbers: A much weaker-than-expected February hiring total, a potentially one-month surprise within a still-strong job market, soured the latest broad-based measure of the U.S. economy from the Chicago Federal Reserve. The Chicago Fed’s index of national economic activity registered […]

February 25, 2019

A trio of prominent economists on Friday said they were worried the Federal Reserve is taking its eye off the risks of higher inflation. Although there is little actual evidence yet, the theory that a low unemployment rate can boost […]

February 25, 2019

The numbers: Factory output sank in January, pulling down a broad measure of the U.S. economy issued on Monday by the Chicago Federal Reserve. The Chicago Fed’s index of national economic activity registered at a negative 0.43 in January, a […]

November 26, 2018

The numbers: A strong job market largely accounted for the acceleration in a broad measure of the U.S. economy from the Chicago Federal Reserve in October. The Chicago Fed’s index of national economic activity registered at a positive 0.24 last […]

October 29, 2018

More firms report raising wages and salaries than at any time in 36 years, according to a survey of business economists out Monday. A net 56% of respondents to the third-quarter National Association for Business Economics survey said their firms […]

October 26, 2018

The numbers: Gross domestic product decelerated a bit to a 3.5% annual pace in the third quarter, down from torrid 4.2% pace in the prior three months, the government said Friday. GDP is the official measuring stick for the U.S. […]

July 16, 2018

Most U.S. business economists expect corporate sales to grow over the next three months and hiring and pay to rise with them. But a majority of the economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics say the corporate tax […]

March 6, 2018

Raising interest rates now gives the U.S. the best chance to keep pushing the economy forward, Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said Tuesday. In that light, Kaplan said he favors three rate hikes this year, a sentiment reflected in markets […]

January 11, 2018

Shares of big banks have been on a tear since mid-2017 as investors began to anticipate a better business environment thanks to an improving global economy and business-friendly policies from Washington. But—and there’s always a but with bank earnings, it […]

August 25, 2017

Accenture has acquired Verax Solutions, a Toronto-based technology and systems-integration consulting firm. Financial terms were not disclosed. Verax is a privately-owned company founded in 2003 that employs around 180 people at offices in Toronto and Halifax. Its service areas include […]