U.S. Economic News
April 25, 2019
U.S. Economic Indicators
Initial jobless claims increased 37,000 to 230,000 last week. The four-week moving average rose 4,500 to 206,000. DOL Report
New orders of manufactured durable goods increased 2.7% in March after falling 1.1% (revised) in February and are up 3.0% compared to a year ago. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4% (up 2.4% from last year). Census Bureau Report
U.S. News
The Financial Times reports that governments of rich nations are failing to prepare workers for the impact of artificial intelligence, according to a new report by the OECD. The report found that around 14% of existing jobs could disappear over the next two decades as a result of automation, with retail, manufacturing, and food and hospitality services most heavily impacted. FT
Bloomberg reports that European Central Bank officials are optimistic that growth in the euro area will pick up in the second half of 2019. The expected improvement is contingent on stronger industrial production, continued recovery in China, and de-escalation of the trade conflict with the U.S. Bloomberg