Recent economic data is still less than conclusive on where the U.S. economy is headed. Last week’s job report came out strong. Payrolls were up 263,000 jobs and unemployment was at 3.5 percent, tied with the pre-pandemic lows, but the workforce participation rate in September was 62.3 percent, down from 62.4 percent in August, tied for the second highest of the year. That compares with a 63.1 percent yearly average in 2019, pre-pandemic; September 2019 was 63.2 percent. So, the workforce is still below pre-pandemic levels.
Those voluntarily leaving the marketplace for jobs among the unemployed was 15.9 percent, the highest in more than 30 years. People who dropped out of the job market and no longer actively looked for employment...
What You Need to Know Today: The hot, dry weather forecast continues to drive strength in grain futures with corn and soybeans hitting another day of strong gains. Monday’s Crop Progress and Conditions data were in line with market expectations and showed relatively few concerns for the...
Yesterday we wrote about the Q1 GDP numbers and the June employment reports in an article entitled Real GDP for Q1 Relying on AI Buildout, Held Back by Consumer Spending. That article mentioned that consumer spending had become a drag on GDP. Nonetheless, real GDP in Q1 was revised upward to 2...
Key Takeaways: The Middle East and North Africa's arid climate and limited water resources have created a structural dependence on imported wheat. Government wheat tenders in major importing countries serve as important benchmarks for global trade, providing insight into exporter competitivene...
