LAST WEEK

News & Commentary Weekly Highlights:

• Wall Street Journal: Why Job Growth Could Get Even Worse for Men Without College Degrees (Thursday)
• Market Watch: Why First-Time Home Buyers Are Staying on the Sidelines (Thursday)
• Bloomberg Business: Half a Million Bank Jobs Have Vanished Since 2008 Crisis (Thursday)
• Wall Street Journal: What Economic Forecasters Got Right, and Wrong, in 2015 (Wednesday)
• Yahoo Finance: Unhappy New Year: The U.S. Economy Is Stalling (Wednesday)

 

Top Economic Indicator Highlights:

International Trade in Goods (Advance Report, November)

• Trade Deficit: $60.5 billion
• Imports:  $181.5 billion, M/M change: -1.8%
• Exports: $121.0 billion, M/M change: -2.0%
• Noteworthy: The Census Bureau’s advance report on the trade in goods revealed the trade deficit narrowed slightly from a revised final estimate of $61.3 in October. Both exports and imports declined in November. U.S. exports of goods hit the lowest level in more than four years, as measured in billions of dollars. The Census will release more complete data on the U.S. international trade balance at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

 

THIS WEEK

Upcoming Economic Reports & Releases:

Major Indicators

• Construction Spending (10am, Monday)
• Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Index (10am, Monday)
• Vehicle Sales (Tuesday)
• International Trade (8:30am, Wednesday)
• Factory Orders (10am, Wednesday)
• Institute of Supply Management Non-Manufacturing Index (10am, Wednesday)
• Employment Situation (8:30am, Friday)
• Wholesale Trade (10am, Friday)
• Consumer Credit (3pm, Friday)

 

Chart of the Week: 

According to the recent employment projections release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the 2014-2024 period, the largest job growth by typical educational attainment requirements is expected to occur in jobs requiring a master’s degree, followed closely by occupations requiring a certification award (postsecondary nondegree award) and a doctoral or professional degree, respectively. However, despite this stronger growth, occupations requiring these credentials are projected to remain relatively smaller in number than occupations that require no formal credentials or a high school diploma.