Jobs Subside โ€“ JOLTS For February Marks Record Low ๐Ÿ“‰

Jobs Subside โ€“ JOLTS For February Marks Record Low

Before the most recent regional banking bust, the hot topic in the mind of both investors and the Federal Reserve was jobs. Despite last yearโ€™s hefty increases to the federal funds rate, the labor market shockingly proved to be resiliently robust to start the new year off. In January, the unemployment rate reached a 53-year low at 3.4%; although this is usually positive news, during times of high inflation this can be worrying as it is a direct indicator of strong economic growth which is correlated to inflation. In February, investorsโ€™ worries eased after the unemployment rate grew 20 basis points to 3.6%, however, the historically low numbers still remain first in the minds of the Federal Reserve.ย 

To conclude the labor data for the month, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey just released, continuing the trend of slowing job growth and potential disinflation. In February, job openings had declined to under 10 million for the first time since May 2021. The largest contributor to this decrease was the professional and business service sector, which lost roughly 280,000 job openings. Furthermore, after this most recent data, the job openings to available workers ratio is nearly 1.7 to 1. With news on the labor market seemingly pointing towards a pause in interest rate hikes, it is now left for the March CPI report to dissuade the Federal Reserve from increased fiscal tightening during their next meeting.

Want to learn how to invest? Download the Invstr app, where you can play Fantasy Finance and manage a virtual investment portfolio or open a brokerage account and invest for real. Take our interactive investing course on Invstr Academy and become a better investor today!

I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.

Share:

More Posts

Get your daily Invstr Crunch

Get the market news and updates you need, delivered to your inbox or available on our daily podcast.

Risk Disclosure:

Invstr is not a bank and banking services are provided by Vast Bank, N.A.

Brokerage and Banking services are currently only available to U.S. residents.

Invstr app and web services are provided by Invstr Ltd. Advisory services are provided by Invstr Financial LLC, an investment adviser registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) details of which can be obtained here. Securities brokerage and custody services are provided by Apex Clearing, a broker dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC. There is no bank guarantee on securities and securities may lose value.

Investing involves risk and can lead to losses. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Invstr app and web services are provided by Invstr Ltd. Invstr+ advisory services are provided by Invstr Financial LLC, an investment adviser registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Securities brokerage and custody services are provided by Apex Clearing, a broker dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC. There is no bank guarantee on securities and securities may lose value. Vast Bank N.A. a nationally chartered bank and member of the FDIC, provides the banking products, including the products and services related to digital asset accounts. As with any asset, the value of Digital assets can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk that you lose money buying or holding digital assets. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding Digital assets is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. Your digital account does not support wallet to wallet transferring of your digital assets (i.e. cryptocurrencies) outside the platform. Any Digital Assets in your digital asset account are not insured by any government entities, including but not limited to FDIC or SIPC. The Invstr Visaยฎ Debit Card is issued by Vast Bank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A Inc and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Invstr Ltd, Invstr Financial LLC and Invstr Securities Ltd are subsidiaries of Marketspringpad Holdings (collectively “Invstr”) and Invstr is solely responsible for the application services and website content.

Watchlists provided when users first access the service are not a recommendation to invest. Instead they are provided to help users better navigate the service. Users are free to edit and create their own watchlists. From time to time, Invstr will suggest instruments solely based on an individual’s interest and the interest levels of the Invstr community. The statistical and portfolio builder models generated by Invstr do not reflect actual investment results and are not guarantees of future results. Comments provided by Invstr leaders, influencers or members of the Invstr Community are not recommendations and should not be construed as such. Invstr does not endorse the content or the positions posted by them. Their investment approach, and that of the models provided by Invstr, may be different from yours and may not be appropriate for you.