The good and the bad news is that employment and unemployment didn’t change much in the US in August. Unemployment remains at 4.9%. Jobs added was 151,000; impressive, but others expected higher. The data good enough nor bad enough to convince folks the situation is improving or worsening. If they saw a direction, they could adjust policy accordingly. Data is noisy, and within that noise could be indications that the US economy is headed down like most of the world, or indications that the US economy is rising and becoming a region for higher interest rates and safety from inflation and deflation. But, debates continue. In the meantime, 151,000 people have something to celebrate.
(Click on the graphs for the link (pdf).)
“The Employment Situation – August 2016” – Bureau of Labor Statistics
Pretending Not To Panic 
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