U.S. Economic News
April 6, 2018
U.S. Economic Indicators
The U.S. economy added 103,000 jobs in March, well below consensus. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, the labor force participation rate edged down to 62.9%, and average hourly earnings edged up to 2.7% Y/Y. BLS Report
U.S. News
According to the Financial Times, the Trump administration is considering new tariffs on $100 billion of Chinese goods. The administration says that the tariffs would be in response to China’s recent retaliatory tariffs on roughly $50 billion of U.S. goods, which have been seen by some as the opening shots in a trade war. FT
The Wall Street Journal reports that China has vowed to “hit back forcefully” after President Trump announced that he is considering tariffs on a further $100 billion of Chinese imports. Although U.S. officials have said that there are bilateral talks occurring, Chinese officials completely denied that any talks were happening that may help avoid escalation. WSJ