• 619 days Will The ECB Continue To Hike Rates?
  • 619 days Forbes: Aramco Remains Largest Company In The Middle East
  • 621 days Caltech Scientists Succesfully Beam Back Solar Power From Space
  • 1,021 days Could Crypto Overtake Traditional Investment?
  • 1,026 days Americans Still Quitting Jobs At Record Pace
  • 1,028 days FinTech Startups Tapping VC Money for ‘Immigrant Banking’
  • 1,031 days Is The Dollar Too Strong?
  • 1,031 days Big Tech Disappoints Investors on Earnings Calls
  • 1,032 days Fear And Celebration On Twitter as Musk Takes The Reins
  • 1,033 days China Is Quietly Trying To Distance Itself From Russia
  • 1,034 days Tech and Internet Giants’ Earnings In Focus After Netflix’s Stinker
  • 1,038 days Crypto Investors Won Big In 2021
  • 1,038 days The ‘Metaverse’ Economy Could be Worth $13 Trillion By 2030
  • 1,039 days Food Prices Are Skyrocketing As Putin’s War Persists
  • 1,041 days Pentagon Resignations Illustrate Our ‘Commercial’ Defense Dilemma
  • 1,042 days US Banks Shrug off Nearly $15 Billion In Russian Write-Offs
  • 1,045 days Cannabis Stocks in Holding Pattern Despite Positive Momentum
  • 1,046 days Is Musk A Bastion Of Free Speech Or Will His Absolutist Stance Backfire?
  • 1,046 days Two ETFs That Could Hedge Against Extreme Market Volatility
  • 1,048 days Are NFTs About To Take Over Gaming?
Market Sentiment At Its Lowest In 10 Months

Market Sentiment At Its Lowest In 10 Months

Stocks sold off last week…

Is The Bull Market On Its Last Legs?

Is The Bull Market On Its Last Legs?

This aging bull market may…

  1. Home
  2. Markets
  3. Other

Where Are the Jobs?

In the absence of real jobs growth, monetary largesse is set to continue...

Last week's unemployment figure for the US showed an uptick to 7.9% - not a significant change.

This was offset by revisions of job growth in November and December of 2012 that equaled nearly 250,000 jobs.

It is a very positive sign of course, but wait one moment. The participation rate was adjusted again for that same time period. And by taking a quick glance at the participation rate, it would indicate a number greater than those who just started working, stopped looking for work.

So is this really growth? Not so clearly. I think we are seeing stability with a trend to grow, perhaps. But the rosy picture painted by most talking heads last week shows conviction in quite a different story.

Of course we also have to look at the global economy and the first thing that jumps at us is the devastating continued loss of jobs in Spain. Up 2.7% from the month before cannot be a good signal. A combination of poor growth and austerity measures is sure to continue to drive this first world economy into chaos. Still there is hope, as Angela Merkel of Germany throws her support behind Spain and promises apprenticeships and education for the youth of that country.

I wonder how the German youth feel about her giving away their livelihood.

All this continued weakness means both the Federal Reserve and the ECB will continue on the path of continued monetary easing. Basically this means more money creation. The Feds' target of 6.5% joblessness, though attainable, does not look like it is going to come to fruition in the near future. Many analysts see that level in 2015. I wouldn't hold my breath.

Eventually our wallets will pay for this largesse. Sure it feels good right now. But when the spigot is turned off we will feel like a worm on hot pavement. That is if we have no gold umbrella to keep off the heat.

 

Back to homepage

Leave a comment

Leave a comment