The US economy gained fewer jobs than estimated: only 103K in March 2018. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%. However, wages are up 0.3%, better than had been expected. Year over year, salaries are up 2.7%, up from 2.6% but exactly as projected. The US dollar initially dropped on the news but is recovering…
Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT) has the longest streak of consecutive dividend increases in the entire REIT sector, a group of companies that is known for its dividends. FRT has paid increasing dividends for 50 consecutive years, making it a member of the exclusive Dividend Kings club. You can see the full list of all 25…
Companies in the US hired substantially fewer workers in March than economists expected, according to this morning’s monthly update from the Labor Department. But the sharp deceleration in growth looks like monthly noise, based on the steady moderate pace for the year-over-year increase in private employment. US firms added 102,000 employees last month – below Econoday.com’s consensus…
The U.S. dollar slipped after a report showed the U.S. economy in March created the fewest jobs in six months. The Canadian economy added more jobs than expected last month, driven by hiring in construction and a recovery in full-time positions. Our USD/CAD short is in good shape after the data. This is how MyFXspot.com…
This report highlights last month’s top performers and features a stock from the current portfolio. Recap from February’s Picks Our Dividend Growth Stocks Model Portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 on a price return basis and performed in line on a total return basis last month. The Model Portfolio fell 2.1% on a price return basis…
The civilian labor force in the U.S. expanded by 806,000 in February and 518,000 in January; both monthly expansions were very steep. The civilian labor force participation rate increased by 0.3 percentage points in February, though it was little changed over the year The following chart illustrates that the U.S. labor force participation rate has…
Per the latest report from the Institute of Supply Management, manufacturing activity in the United States dipped slightly in March compared with February. However, this apparent decline is rather a correction and momentary. Further, it is also indicative of a burgeoning economy even as the global markets remain resilient. Such claims can also be supported…
This morning’s employment report for March showed a 103K increase in total nonfarm payrolls, which was worse than forecasts. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1%. The Investing.com consensus was for 193K new jobs and the unemployment rate to drop to 4.0%. Here is an excerpt from the Employment Situation Summary released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:…
Trade and equity market volatility, which are not completely separate, continue to dominate investors’ interest. Many had come around to accept that while trade tensions were running high, it was likely to be mostly posturing. This conclusion may have helped lift the S&P 500 around 3% over the past three sessions. However, early in the Asian…
As financial markets adjust to a new, higher, level of volatility, it is worth considering what the central banks might be thinking longer term. Many commentators have been blaming geopolitical tensions for the recent fall in stocks, but the central banks, led by the Fed, have been signalling clearly for some while. The sudden change…
