The 2023 U.S. economy, in charts

The 2023 U.S. economy, in charts

A pedestrian holds an umbrella as they walk along a street in the rain in Times Square, New York, on Sept. 26, 2023. Ed Jones | AFP | Getty Images The state of the U.S. economy may be a chief concern among Americans, but 2023 wound up as a pretty good year for the macroenvironment. … Read more

Jobless rate for Black Americans declines to 5.2% to end 2023 on a positive note

Jobless rate for Black Americans declines to 5.2% to end 2023 on a positive note

A networking and hiring event for professionals of color in Minneapolis, MN.  Michael Siluk | Getty Images The unemployment rate for Black Americans fell significantly in December, closing out 2023 on a positive note, according to data released Friday by the Department of Labor. Black Americans, the group with the highest jobless percentage in the country, … Read more

Why workers’ raises are smaller in 2024 — and may not go up from here

Why workers’ raises are smaller in 2024 — and may not go up from here

Ezra Bailey | The Image Bank | Getty Images Workers are poised to get smaller raises in 2024 — and their annual pay bumps are unlikely to increase again anytime soon amid a cooler job market, labor experts said. U.S. companies plan to give salary increases of 4%, on average, this year, down from 4.4% … Read more

Payrolls increased by 216,000 in December

Payrolls increased by 216,000 in December

The U.S. labor market closed out 2023 in strong shape as the pace of hiring was even more powerful than expected, the Labor Department reported Friday. December’s jobs report showed employers added 216,000 jobs for the month while the unemployment rate held at 3.7%. Payroll growth showed a sizeable gain from November’s downwardly revised 173,000. … Read more

Maersk to extend Red Sea diversion for ‘foreseeable future’

Maersk to extend Red Sea diversion for ‘foreseeable future’

The Maersk Sentosa container ship sails southbound to exit the Suez Canal in Suez, Egypt, on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. Stringer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Danish shipping giant Maersk said Friday it would extend its diversion of vessels from the Red Sea for the “foreseeable future” due to safety concerns amid a spate of … Read more

St. Louis Fed names former Tudor executive Alberto Musalem as new president

St. Louis Fed names former Tudor executive Alberto Musalem as new president

St. Louis Fed names Alberto G. Musalem as new president. Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve Economist Alberto Musalem was named the next president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on Thursday. Musalem, 55, will start on April 2. He succeeds James Bullard, who joined Purdue University last August. The St. Louis … Read more

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin yet to help Trump

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin yet to help Trump

After serving in the Trump administration for four years, former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin is keeping his distance from the former president and his campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. “Mnuchin has not been in the room,” said Stephen Moore, a conservative economist who is advising Trump. “I don’t know if it’s Mnuchin … Read more

Private payrolls added 164,000 in December, beating expectations, ADP says

Private payrolls added 164,000 in December, beating expectations, ADP says

A worker at a restaurant at Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, California, US, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.  Eric Thayer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Hiring in the private sector rose at a faster than expected pace in December, closing out a strong 2023 for the resilient U.S. jobs market, ADP reported Thursday. Private … Read more

Economy, Gaza war and China ties dominate

Economy, Gaza war and China ties dominate

Presidential candidates Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo, along with their vice presidential candidates, are posing for photos after the first presidential candidate debate at the General Election Commission (KPU) office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 12, 2023. Indonesia is preparing to hold general elections for president and vice president for the 2024-2029 period … Read more

Bond yields surging to highest level in decades: Jim Bianco

Bond yields surging to highest level in decades: Jim Bianco

It’s a level not seen since George W. Bush was president. Wall Street forecaster Jim Bianco is predicting the benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield will hit 5.5% this year — its highest level since May 2001. A major part of his thesis is built on the economy’s strength and resiliency. “I don’t think the economy … Read more