Back to top

staffing: Archive

Mark Vickery

BLS Jobs: 223K, 3.5% Unemployment Strong, Wage Growth Down

At 3.5%, we are officially back down to pre-pandemic levels on unemployment.

ADPPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Bad News Rife, Markets Down Ahead of Jobs Report

Low guidance and stubbornly high jobs numbers are a recipe for bearishness.

AMZNNegative Net Change GSPositive Net Change CRMNegative Net Change ADPPositive Net Change SIPositive Net Change CSCOPositive Net Change BBBYPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

ADP, Jobless Claims Improve, Pre-Markets Drop

Following this series of healthy economic data, the Dow is now -150 points, the S&P -20 and the Nasdaq -60.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Fed Minutes Stay Hawkish, Markets Close in the Green

On the one-year anniversary of the Dow and S&P 500 hitting all-time highs, markets notch their first positive session of 2023.

CRMNegative Net Change ADPPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Pre-Markets Try Again for Positive Session

We should be prepared for a head-fake during the trading day, like we saw following a green pre-market yesterday.

CRMNegative Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Once 2023 Starts, Investors Have Work to Do

We'll know a lot more about our economic situation a week from today than we do now.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Longer-Term Jobless Claims Creeping Higher

We look to 2023 to provide us with clues for when the economy can return to prosperity.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Looking for Economic News to Turn "Impolite"

Something of less-manageable deterioration in the housing and labor markets might anticipate impolite lower metrics elsewhere over time.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Apparently, "Good News" Is Still "Bad News"

Our economy continuing to establish its resilience in a rapidly rising interest-rate environment. Naturally, that means we should sell it off.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Jobless Claims Calm, Q3 GDP Upped to +3.2%

Investors look to be continually manicuring levels of holdings in equities as we get economic data releases that help color in some blank spots in our outlook.

MUPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Pre-Markets Sink Further on Jobless Claims, Retail Sales & More

The dot-plot going forward does not see any 75 bps hikes on the horizon; the Fed's actions in this regard have peaked.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Fed Hike & Dot-Plot: "Higher for Longer" Now Has a Face

"...For longer" -- it may not even be a real recession; it may feel similarly uncomfortable to where we are today, but for another year or two, rather than another quarter or two.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

CPI Comes Down, Pre-Markets Jump Up

Core CPI year over year -- perhaps the keenest look at overall "sticky" inflation -- is +6.0%, down 10 bps from consensus and lower than the previous +6.3%.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

New Jobless Claims Steady, Longer-Term Higher

Longer-term claims are the most we've seen since February of this year -- so we'll keep an eye on this going forward.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Productivity, Labor Costs Behave; Pre-Markets Still Down

If there's a silver lining anywhere in sight, it's that futures are less bad following a revision to a couple key economic prints this morning.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Santa Claus Rally in No Hurry; Markets Close Lower

All 11 S&P 500 sectors finished the regular trading session lower -- even Energy, which looked to have gotten a bid with firming OPEC+ prices.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Non-Farm Payrolls Good News Equals Bad News

Perhaps most revealing about this strong employment report was in wages, which were up big -- and unexpectedly.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

New Jobless Claims Down, PCE Flat-to-Down

Basically, a still-strong economy is shrinking some of its inflation bloat, and the Fed Chair has taken note of this.

ADPPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Markets Soar Ahead on Powell Rate-Hike Comments

The market indices launched on the Fed Chair's speech: the Dow +737 points, +2.18%, the S&P 500 +3.09% and the Nasdaq zoomed ahead +484 points, or +4.41%.

CRMNegative Net Change SNOWNegative Net Change METAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

ADP Lower at +127K, Q3 GDP Upped to +2.9% & More

While we appear to be staving off a pending slide in the overall economy, we do not expect much by way of shifts to the Fed Chair's perspective this afternoon.

ADPPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change

John Blank

A Macro Data-Focused Week: Global Week Ahead

For the Global Week Ahead, November U.S. nonfarm jobs data, and Euro harmonized consumer price inflation data, can focus the minds of most stock traders.

SIEGYPositive Net Change VCISYPositive Net Change KYCCFNegative Net Change

Mark Vickery

Jobless Claims, Goods Orders, Airline Metrics Up Ahead of Holiday

We see higher-than-expected numbers this morning on weekly jobless claims, durable goods and airline travel.

ADPPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change IYTNegative Net Change JETSPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Nordstrom (JWN) Beats After Close, Stock Sells Off

Guidance looking ahead has been kept pat -- instead of rising -- indicating this is as good as it gets for the higher-end big-box retailer.

DLTRNegative Net Change BBYPositive Net Change DEPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Post-Midterms, Plenty of Things Coming into Focus

This is the first time since 2002 that the party of the White House did not experience big losses in the first midterm election of their administration.

QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change METAPositive Net Change

Mark Vickery

Economic Data Gradually Dwindles: Jobless Claims, Productivity & More

With a Fed meeting still in our rearview mirror, these data points will not be directly consequential.

ADPPositive Net Change QQQPositive Net Change SPYPositive Net Change DIAPositive Net Change