Jeffry Bartash

The March employment report looked great, but it was just all right. Look behind the 178,000 increase in new jobs and what do we find? People are leaving the labor force because they can't find jobs and wage growth has slowed. marketwatch.com/story/the-marc… via @MarketWatch

US jobs report shows 178,000 workers were hired in March. Biggest gain in 15 months. Believable? Sure. But hiring overall is weak. The economy has added, then lost, jobs for 11 months in a row. Best thing is unemployment is low at 4.3%. marketwatch.com/story/u-s-jobs… via @MarketWatch

It's weird to think the economy doesn't need to create many new jobs anymore to keep the U.S. unemployment rate low. Very weird. Don't expect a hiring surge to show up in the March employment report. marketwatch.com/story/the-u-s-… via @MarketWatch

Retail sales in the U.S. rebounded before Iran war and showed economy was all right. Yet spending was aided by bigger tax refunds, and now higher gas prices are starting to bite. What's next? marketwatch.com/story/retail-s… via @MarketWatch

Uncertainty has been the only certainty in the economy in President Trump's second term. It's put a big strain on manufacturers. First the tariffs. Now the Iran war. ISM shows a rebound was underway, but for how long? marketwatch.com/story/u-s-manu… via @MarketWatch

The number of unemployed people who receive jobless benefits just fell to a 17-month low. Great news, right? Yes and no. Layoffs and unemployment are low, but if you can't find a job, benefits eventually run out. marketwatch.com/story/the-numb… via @MarketWatch

A 1970s bogeyman known as stagflation is back. Or is it? I remember stagflation. The old penny candy store went out of business after prices rose to 5 cents a few years later. Terrible era economically, but it's nothing like that today. marketwatch.com/story/america-… via @MarketWatch

Is the U.S. economy really losing jobs? I'm skeptical. The low number of unemployment filings certainly says no. Jobless claims are rarely this low. Hiring, on the other hand, definitely stinks. Tough time to be looking for work. marketwatch.com/story/is-the-e… via @MarketWatch

Is inflation bubbling up again in the guts of the economy? Wholesale prices surged in February in a worrisome sign for the Fed. Interest rate cuts not looking likely anytime soon. Stressful time for Wall Street and the U.S. economy ... marketwatch.com/story/wholesal… via @MarketWatch

The U.S. economy grew less than 1% in the fourth quarter, GDP showed, but the government shutdown was the biggest reason. So no reason to worry? I wish. The future is hazy, too. A big dark cloud is the Iran conflict ... marketwatch.com/story/gdp-grew… via @MarketWatch

We've all had enough of excessive inflation, but it's not going away. The Fed’s favorite PCE price gauge shows sticky inflation — and little chance of improvement soon. The Iran conflict will see to that. marketwatch.com/story/feds-fav… via @MarketWatch

Job openings in the U.S. jumped to 3-month high in early 2026, but businesses aren’t actually hiring more people. Good thing layoffs are still very low. marketwatch.com/story/job-open… via @MarketWatch

Trump tariffs were supposedly going to cut the U.S. trade deficit and create jobs. It hasn’t worked out that way. Tariffs are a blunt tool that can misfire. And the U.S. hasn't, well, manufactured many new manufacturing jobs for decades. marketwatch.com/story/trump-ta… via @MarketWatch

CPI on tap. Inflation seemed to slow before Iran conflict jacked up oil prices. But did it really? marketwatch.com/story/cpi-on-t… via @MarketWatch

No sugarcoating it. February U.S. jobs report was a bad one. As bad as it looked? I doubt it. January wasn't as good as it seemed, either. My view: Most employment indicators have improved, but it's still a low-hire, low fire labor market. marketwatch.com/livecoverage/f…

That time of month again -- the U.S. jobs report! Hiring probably slowed in February. There's just not many new jobs being created in the economy. Fortunately the unemployment rate is low and all but certain to stay that way. marketwatch.com/story/pivotal-… via @MarketWatch

Jobless claims and Challenger Gray both point to low or even declining layoffs in the economy. Which is great. But it's hard to find a job if you've been laid off. So not so great. This good-bad scenario could persist all year. marketwatch.com/story/jobless-… via @MarketWatch

@SimPropGal No one can predict the future. Yet no new technology has ever created mass unemployment in a short time. Simply not in the historical record.

I'm seeing more signs the U.S. economy is gaining strength. Jobs market is tough and the Iran conflict adds to uncertainty, but ISM survey finds tariffs are fading as a business bugaboo. Still need to see hiring improve to feel optimistic. marketwatch.com/story/u-s-econ…