April 05, 2024
Wage Growth May Not Rescue Paycheck-to-Paycheck Economy
Wages are increasing. The unemployment rate’s lower. The U.S. economy added more jobs in March than had been expected. And yet, it all may not be enough to offset the...
March 21, 2024
Banks Advocate Digital Payments as Defense Against Check Fraud
Despite the growing adoption of digital payment solutions worldwide, financial institutions (FIs) continue to process billions of checks each year, setting the stage for a growing trend: check fraud. Last...
March 20, 2024
NRF Expects ‘Moderate but Steady’ Retail Sales Growth in 2024
The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects retail sales to grow between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2024. That forecast is in line with the 2023 annual sales growth and the 10-year pre-pandemic average...
March 08, 2024
Healthcare, Government Lead February Job Gains
Healthcare and government employment led the U.S. economy’s job gains in February. These sectors led the pack as total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 275,000 in February, topping the average monthly gain...
February 22, 2024
Jobless Claims Fall in Face of Ongoing Layoffs
New Department of Labor data shows a drop in initial applications for unemployment in the United States. Unemployment claims fell by 12,000 to 201,000 for the week ending Feb. 17,...
February 12, 2024
Fed Finds Consumers Optimistic About Credit but Not Inflation
U.S. consumers are feeling more optimistic about their financial conditions and access to credit. That’s according to the January 2024 Survey of Consumer Expectations, released Monday (Feb. 12) by the Federal Reserve...
February 11, 2024
Tech Layoffs ‘Become Contagious’ Amid AI Investments
Tech firms have cut 34,000 jobs so far this year amid new investments in technology. A total of 141 companies have cut staff this year as of Sunday (Feb. 11),...
February 05, 2024
Why Improved Consumer Sentiment May Not Translate Into Increased Spending
The more sanguine consumers feel about the state of the world — particularly about the state of inflation — the more apt they are to spend. That’s the shorthand logic,...
January 18, 2024
Unemployment Claims Fall With Fewer Layoffs in Transportation, Warehousing
The number of initial claims for unemployment benefits filed during the week ended Saturday (Jan. 13) was the lowest since Sept. 24, 2022. The number fell to 187,000 during the...
