Ian Shepherdson Quotes on Labor (19 Quotes)

The Fed's chief worry is still the labor market, ... So long as the unemployment rate does not fall further, and clear signs of consumer slowed own emerge, the Fed will be able to leave rates on hold.

It signals that the labor market has now moved again to center stage in the Fed's analysis and policymaking process.

If claims remain anywhere near this week's level, they will send a very strong signal that the labor market is tightening.

With three sub-300,000 numbers in the past four weeks, it is beginning to look as though there has been some real improvement in the labor markets this year.

Unfortunately, at current levels, and coupled with the extraordinarily low level of labor demand, the claims numbers are still consistent with flat or falling payrolls and a rising unemployment rate. There's no real relief in sight here yet.

At 296,000, claims have slipped back to a five-week low, ... This is simply too low a level to be consistent with a major change in the labor market.

It is beginning to look as though there has been a real improvement in the labor market at the start of this year.

Clearly, there is no near-term inflation threat coming from the labor market. In short, great numbers, which will prompt yet more talk of miracles.

Companies seem to have acted very quickly this time around once they realized that economic growth was slowing sharply, ... Overall, the data suggest talk of a labor market meltdown is overdone.

The March Beige Book paints a clear picture of an economy straining at the seams. Significantly, compared to recent Beige Books, there was more detail, and a more worrying tone, to the comments on the labor market.

The new Fed Chairman clearly expects to have to raise rates a bit further, but the extent of the tightening is dependent on the relative performance of the labor and housing markets.

These are spectacular numbers and confirm that the labor market is not at the moment the source of anything that could be plausibly described as inflationary pressure.

Overall, the labor market is improving, but progress is still slow,

Behind the enormous distortions caused by the hurricanes, the underlying state of the labor market has continued to improve.

The message from these claims numbers is strong and clear. The labor market is extremely tight.

The headline was pulled down by slightly bigger declines in gasoline, natural gas and fuel oil prices than we expected. Core PPI is now up just 1.7 year over year, down from May's 2.8 peak. It will slow further in the wake of the slowing in raw-materials prices, but the Fed cares much more about the labor market than PPI.

No doubt bears will highlight the rise in continuing claims, up another 29,000, but we are unmoved A rising ratio of continuing to initial claims signals accelerating productivity growth, not a shaky recovery, ... Labor market conditions are improving --

Claims have now been essentially static for three months, so even if the latest declines turn out to be unsustainable, the data will still show that the trend is no longer rising rapidly, and may not be rising at all, ... It looks like the worst of the worst is now over in the labor market.

Even though most people displaced by the storm are still away from their homes, Labor Department officials have been helping people make claims from their temporary accommodations.