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The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 175,000 workers were added to nonfarm payrolls in December, well above Wall Street’s consensus estimate of 149,000. 162,000 of those hires were to private payrolls, above expectations for a 145,000 rise in the ranks of private-sector workers. The unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 6.7% from 6.6%. Labor force participation was unchanged at 63.0%. 610,000 were unable to work due to inclement weather in February, above the historical February average of 317,000.

WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods unexpectedly fell in December as did a gauge of planned business spending on capital goods, which could cast a shadow on an otherwise bright economic outlook. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday durable goods orders dropped 4.3 percent, pulled down by weak demand for transportation equipment, primary metals, computers and electronic products and capital goods.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but not enough to suggest a shift in the recent pattern of modest job gains. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 354,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 4,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to hold steady at 340,000 last week. A Labor Department analyst said claims for five states, including Virginia, Minnesota and Oregon, were estimated since state...

Q1 Real GDP was released by the BEA this morning. It was a mixture of disappointment and good news (for retailers). Real GDP grew by 2.5% (annualized), but analysts were expecting 3.0%. So, this was a swing and a miss. According to the BEA, “The acceleration in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected an upturn in private inventory investment, an acceleration in PCE, an upturn in exports, and a smaller decrease in federal government spending that were partly offset by an upturn in imports and a deceleration in nonresidential fixed investment.” Personal consumption expenditures rose 3.2% in Q1,...

Demand for US factory goods fell unexpectedly in June, reflecting a drop in corporate investment and the biggest decreases in non-durable goods orders for over three years. Factory orders fell 0.5 per cent, compared with analysts’ expectations of a 0.7 per cent rise, US commerce department figures showed yesterday. June’s fall followed a downwardly revised 0.5 per cent increase in May, after sharp declines the two previous months. Economists fear a slowdown in momentum, given that manufacturing had been regarded as the mainstay of a US economic recovery. The sector accounts for about 12 per cent of the economy.

The jobs report for June shows another gloomy month in the US economy. Job growth amounted to a disappointing 80,000, below analyst expectations of 90-100K, while the jobless rate remained the same at 8.2%:

Jim Pethokoukis called this a “huge miss” on Twitter, and he’s right. Analysts expected the US economy to add 150,000 jobs in May. Instead, we saw only a net gain of 69,000 jobs, and the jobless rate went up slightly to 8.2%: Nonfarm payroll employment changed little in May (+69,000), and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 8.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in health care, transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade but declined in construction. Employment was little changed in most other major industries. The long-term unemployed jumped up by 300,000 as...

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in April to a four-month low, undermining some of the recent optimism that the housing sector was touching bottom. The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in April, fell 5.5 percent to 95.5, its lowest level since December. Economists polled by Reuters had expected signed contracts, which lead existing home sales by a month or two, to rise 0.1 percent after a previously reported 4.1 percent gain. The housing market has been one of the U.S. economy's weakest links as it recovers...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private employers added 119,000 jobs in April, far fewer than expected, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 177,000 jobs. The report is jointly developed with Macroeconomic Advisers LLC.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to their highest level since January, a development that could raise fears the labor market recovery was stalling after job creation slowed in March. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised up to 367,000 from the previously reported 357,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 355,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends, rose 4,250 to 368,500. The...

The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 8.5 percent last month as job creation was more robust than expected, providing continued signs that the nation's labor market is improving gradually. Growth in manufacturing jobs helped offset loss in government positions, while wages edged higher and the length of the work week also lengthened a bit. The unemployment rate — a hotly contested number because of the rise in potential workers who have quit looking for jobs — has fallen 0.6 percentage points since August. Economists had been looking for a number in the 175,000 range as both Wall Street and...

A federal program aimed at securing potentially dangerous chemicals is now in jeopardy after being beset by a series of deep-seated problems, including wasteful spending and a largely unqualified workforce that lacks "professionalism," according to a scathing internal Department of Homeland Security report obtained exclusively by Fox News. In 2007, Congress established the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, which directs DHS to collect and review information from U.S. chemical facilities to determine whether they present a security risk. It is overseen by the Infrastructure Security Compliance Division -- or ISCD.

A scant 11 months into his incumbency, Gov. Cuomo this weekend surrendered to New York’s culture of corrupt profligacy — abandoning the no-tax-hike pledge that was a core campaign principle and laying to rest the notion that he’s a Democrat of a different sort. How high will taxes go now? Who knows? Right now, “negotiations” are under way — apparently intended to get the tax-hike heavy lifting out of the way before the Legislature convenes in a month. Time enough then to divvy up the spoils; just rest assured that every penny raised by the hikes will be spent in...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace than previously estimated in the third quarter, but weak inventory accumulation amid sturdy consumer spending strengthened views output would pick up in the current quarter. Gross domestic product grew at a 2.0 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said in its second estimate on Tuesday, down from the previously estimated 2.5 percent.

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Consumer confidence unexpectedly slumped in October to the lowest level since March 2009, when the U.S. economy was in a recession, as Americans' outlooks for employment and incomes soured. The Conference Board's sentiment index decreased to 39.8 from a revised 46.4 reading in September, figures from the New York-based private research group showed today. This month's reading was less than the most pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg News survey in which the median projection was 46. Limited job availability, deteriorating home values and the threat of a European debt default are weighing on sentiment. A drop...

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose unexpectedly last week in a sign concerns about a weak economy were sapping an already beleaguered labor market, data showed on Thursday. Applications for unemployment benefits climbed to 428,000 in the week ending September10 from an upwardly revised 417,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said. It was the second straight week in which claims rose. Wall Street analysts had been looking for a dip to 410,000. Excluding one week in early August, claims have held above 400,000 since early April. A Labor Department official said there was no...

It is the most common adverb of the Obama years: “unexpectedly.” ● “Sales of U.S. previously owned homes unexpectedly dropped in July,” reported Bloomberg. ● “Manufacturing in the Philadelphia region unexpectedly contracted in August by the most in more than two years as orders plunged and factories shed workers,”reported Bloomberg Businessweek. ● “Consumer spending unexpectedly fell in June,” reported Reuters. ● “Dismal economic data on Thursday pointed to an unexpectedly abrupt slowdown in manufacturing and a pickup in inflation,” reported the New York Times’ business page.This is just in the past week; hundreds of articles each month note that some...

The labor market continues struggling to gain any footing as more workers than expected filed applications for unemployment benefits last week. First-time jobless claims increased by 9,000 to 408,000 in the week ended Aug. 13, the highest in a month, Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week's revised figure was 399,000 from an initially reported 395,000. The four-week moving average, a better gauge for the labor market than the weekly figures, dropped to 402,500 last week, from 406,000, the lowest level since April 16. Applications have been above 400,000 for 18 of the past 19 weeks and the economy isn't...

<p>Fox News has reported July jobless claims at 408,000. Economists were expecting 400,000.</p>

(Reuters) - Service sector growth slowed in July but stayed above a level indicative of growth, the Institute for Supply Management said on Wednesday. FACTORY ORDERS: Factory orders were down in June due to weak demand for transportation equipment. KEY POINTS: * The pace of growth in the U.S. services sector ticked down unexpectedly in July to the lowest level since February 2010.