Category: Finance

The president is getting more micro in his economic sales pitch as the landscape loses its luster.

Friday’s government report showed that last month’s hiring gain was down sharply from the blockbuster increase of 315,000 in March.

Biden and Trump are both campaigning on warped economic statistics, cherry-picking weird data from the Covid crisis.

By any measure, it amounted to a strong month of hiring.

The concern is that higher rates are putting pressure on households and businesses looking to borrow, weighing on hiring, investment and the housing market.

Last month’s job growth was up from a revised gain of 229,000 jobs in January.

The president’s team thinks it’s had a historically successful first term, delivering victories on the economy, climate, drug pricing and more. But many Americans aren’t feeling it.

Higher wages, higher growth, higher productivity. Win-win-win. There’s a chance we’re headed down that exact path, and yet, Americans don’t seem very enthused. Because they really hate inflation. For the coalition that has supported this agenda — Democrats to the left of Larry Summers, along with economists representing a range of ideologies — the economy…

It’s a clear upward turn for Biden following a grueling period of price spikes that soured voters’ mood and damaged the president’s approval ratings. Biden has consistently received low marks on his handling of the economy, with polls showing cost of living issues among Americans top concerns. But now, with the risk of a recession…

This week, the Federal Reserve took note of the economy’s durability, with Chair Jerome Powell saying “the economy is performing well, the labor market remains strong.” The Fed made clear that while it’s nearing a long-awaited shift toward cutting interest rates, it’s in no hurry to do so. To fight inflation, the Fed raised its…