Recent Updates
- Germany: **Wholesale Trade Prices rebased from 2010=100 to 2015=100**
- US: S&P Case Shiller Home Price Indexes (Jul); FHFA House Price Indexes (Jul); Consumer Confidence (Sep)
- US: FRB Philadelphia Nonmfg Business Outlook Survey (Sep); FRB Richmond Mfg & Service Sector Surveys (Sep); Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey (Sep)
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- more updates...
Economy in Brief
Texas Factory Sector Index Retreats; Expectations Are Mixed
The Dallas Fed indicated in its Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey that the General Business Activity Index fell to 28.1 in September...
German IFO Index Marks Time
The German IFO Institute index has gone sideways in September...
FIBER: Industrial Commodity Prices Weaken
The FIBER Industrial Materials Price Index eased 0.3% during the last four weeks...
EMU Sinks on New Flash PMI Readings
The EMU PMI sank to its cyclical low in mid-2016 then hit its cycle higher in 2018...
U.S. Financial Accounts See Borrowing Ease with Downswing in Federal Government Needs
Borrowing in U.S. financial markets slowed in Q2 2018...
by Tom Moeller March 2, 2005
Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that job cut announcements rose 17.4% last month and reversed most of the decline in January.
Challenger also reported that announced hiring rose to 41,984 jobs, up sharply from 4Q.
During the last ten years there has been an 85% (inverse) correlation between the three month moving average of announced job cuts and the three month change payroll employment.
Increases in job cut announcements were notable last month in the telecommunications, transportation, insurance, energy and consumer goods industries.
Job cut announcements differ from layoffs. Many are achieved through attrition, early retirement or just never occur.
| Challenger, Gray & Christmas | Feb | Jan | Y/Y | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced Job Cuts | 108,387 | 92,351 | 40.3% | 1,039,175 | 1,236,426 | 1,431,052 |
