Better weather may have lifted job growth in March

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hiring went into a deep freeze this winter as harsh weather slowed the economy. A warmer March has raised a key question for Friday's monthly jobs report: Did hiring rebound in March along with the temperatures?

Most economists think it did.

But some of the pickup in hiring will likely reflect a temporary bounce-back from the cold winter months. It may not be immediately clear how much of the job growth will endure.

Analysts forecast that employers added 195,000 jobs last month, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be the highest total in four months and up from 175,000 in February. The unemployment rate is predicted to fall to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent in February.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140404/DACV5KF01.html

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In this Thursday March 13, 2014, file photo, job seekers line up to attend a marijuana industry job far in Downtown Denver. The government issues the March jobs report on Friday, April 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

[Demeter]

1. This is speculation, not news

Wait for the real report...and weep

[Demeter]

2. HERE IS THE REAL NEWS

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WALL_STREET?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-04-04-09-18-07

Stock futures climbed after the federal government said employers added 192,000 workers to their payrolls last month. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7 percent.

KEEPING SCORE: Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 55 points, or 0.3 percent, to 16,556 a half hour before the start of regular trading. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up seven points, or 0.4 percent, at 1,890. Nasdaq futures rose 17 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,648.

MUDDLED JOBS REPORT: The Labor Department says employers added 192,000 jobs in March. That's less than economists had expected and also below February's total of 197,000. On the bright side, employers added a combined 37,000 more jobs in February and January than the government first estimated. A half-million Americans started looking for work last month, and many of them found jobs.