Private payrolls rose by 242,000, better than expected
Companies added jobs at a brisk pace in February as the U.S. labor market kept humming, payroll services firm ADP reported Wednesday. Private payrolls increased by 242,000 for the month, ahead of the Dow Jones estimate for 205,000 and well above the upwardly revised 119,000 jobs gain, from 106,000, in January. Wage growth decelerated slightly, […]
Key Fed inflation measure rose 0.6% in January, more than expected
A measure the Federal Reserve watches closely to gauge inflation rose more than expected in January, indicating the central bank has more work to do to bring down prices. The personal consumption expenditures price index excluding food and energy increased 0.6% for the month, and was up 4.7% from a year ago, the Commerce Department […]
U.S. GDP rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter, more than expected even as recession fears loom
The U.S. economy finished 2022 in solid shape even as questions persist over whether growth will turn negative in the year ahead. Fourth-quarter gross domestic product, the sum of all goods and services produced for the October-to-December period, rose at a 2.9% annualized pace, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had […]
Wholesale prices fell 0.5% in December, much more than expected; retail sales fall
Prices for wholesale goods and services fell sharply in December, providing another sign that inflation, while still high, is beginning to ease. The producer price index, which measures final demand prices across hundreds of categories, declined 0.5% for the month, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a […]