Cheaper gas prices, a stronger dollar, China trimming U.S. debt -- the initial reaction for anyone not familiar with the intricacies of how the global economy works will surely see all of these things as solely good. Yet, as previously reported on IVN, each of these events may also point to ominous clouds on the horizon.
Now, there is a clear sign that the storm could be approaching: slowing job growth. According to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy only added 126,000 jobs in March, which fell well short of analysts' predictions.
"Not since December 2013 has the nation created fewer jobs in a month," The Washington Post reports. "March’s data, released by the Department of Labor, ends a 12-month streak in which the U.S. economy had added at least 200,000 positions. Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected employers to have added 245,000 jobs in March."
The national unemployment rate remains at 5.5 percent, but this figure never tells the full story on the state of unemployment (and underemployment) or the economy. Politico reports that this may be a sign of a stalling economy.
April 3, 2015
Yet, as Politico reports, it was President Obama who predicted that the economy might stall.
Read the full story here.
Photo Source: Bloomberg News