All 3 Majors Advanced On A Positive Jobs Report

All 3 major indexes advanced on the week: investors reacted bullishly to this morning's jobs report, as the encouraging numbers could mean that the U.S. economy isn't headed for a recession. The price on a barrel of crude oil for future delivery eased, but remained above the $81 mark.

1,258,787,720 shares were traded @ The New York Stock Exchange® today.

For the week, the DJIA gained 170.38 points (+1.226%), the NASDAQ Composite Index added 78.82 points (+2.918%), and the S&P 500 Index gained 30.84 points (+2.02%).

Summary of The U.S. Markets for Today:

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DJIA: Closed @ 14,066.01 (+91.70)

NASDAQ: Closed @ 2,780.32 (+46.75)

S&P 500: Closed @ 1,557.59 (+14.75)

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NYMEX Crude Oil Future closed @ $81.22/barrel

NY Spot Gold closed @ $741.30/ounce

In New York, The U.S. Dollar buys 0.7075 Euros

In New York, The Euro buys 1.4134 U.S. Dollars

The Federal Funds Target Rate is 4.75%

10-Year Treasury Note Yield is currently @ 4.64%

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Consumer Credit Status Report for August, 2007 Released Today

The Consumer Credit status report for August, 2007 was released by the Fed earlier this afternoon:

Actual: +$12,200,000,000 (+5.9%)

The above figures represent the seasonally adjusted, month-to-month change in total outstanding, installment-based consumer credit; includes car loans and credit cards, but does not include real estate-secured loans, like mortgages.

Total Outstanding Consumer Debt in August: $2,471,800,000,000

Click here to view the full Federal Reserve report.

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Employment Situation Report for September, 2007

The Employment Situation report for September, 2007 was released by The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning:

Average Hourly Earnings (month-to-month change)
Predicted: +0.3%
Actual: +0.4%


Non-farm Payrolls (month-to-month change)
Predicted: +115K
Actual: +110K


Average Workweek
Predicted: 33.8 hrs
Actual: 33.8 hrs


Unemployment Rate
Predicted: 4.7%
Actual: 4.7%

Economist, academics, central bankers and investors pay very close attention to the monthly Employment Situation report as it offers penetrating insight as to the current and near-future state of the overall U.S. economy. If a) Americans are earning more money, b) unemployment is low and c) the economy is creating new jobs, this typically translates to more money being pumped into the economy (and vice versa.)

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Click here to view the full Department of Labor report.

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U.S. Factory Orders Report for August, 2007

The U.S. Census Bureau this morning released their report on manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories & Orders -- also known as Factory Orders -- for August, 2007:

Predicted: -2.8%
Actual: -3.3%

The above percentages represent the month-to-month change in orders for both durable and nondurable goods made by from U.S. manufacturers. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Click here to view the full Census Bureau report.

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New Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of September 29, 2007

Earlier today, the Labor Department released the New Unemployment Insurance Claims report for the week that ended on September 29, 2007:

Predicted: 310,000
Actual: 317,000

The above figures represent the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Click here to view the full Labor Department report.

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Crude Oil Inventories Report for Week of September 28, 2007

The U.S. Crude Oil Inventories report for the week that ended on September 28, 2007 was released this morning:

Weekly Change: +1,200,000 Barrels

Yearly Change: -6,300,000 Barrels

Current U.S. Crude Oil Stocks: 321,800,000 Barrels

Diminishing crude oil inventories can translate to higher crude oil prices (and vice versa), but not always.

The report is produced by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Click here for a more detailed summary of The Week in Petroleum.

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Challenger Report on Corporate Layoffs for September, 2007

Earlier today, the outplacement company Challenger released their report on corporate layoffs for September, 2007:

U.S. Job Cuts Announced during September, 2007: 71,739

When the corporate layoff numbers are high, consumer spending may decline, since there are less people with steady jobs.

When corporate layoffs are low, this can mean that the job market is relatively tight, which can be a harbinger of wage inflation.

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U.S. Motor Vehicle Sales Report for September, 2007

The Domestic Motor Vehicle Sales report for September, 2007 was released this afternoon:

Predicted: 12,400,000
Actual: 12,400,000

The above figures represent unit sales of American-made cars, minivans, SUV's and light trucks. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

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Redbook Numbers for The Week of September 29, 2007

The Redbook numbers for the week that ended on September 29, 2007 were released this morning:

Redbook Sales Figures: +1.5%

The Redbook measures the weekly sales at chain stores, discount stores, and department stores -- about 9,000 stores in total -- and is therefore an important measure of current consumer spending in the U.S. The above figure represents the year-to-year change in the Redbook sales figures, so sales are up by 1.5% when compared to sales during the corresponding week back in September of 2006.

The weekly Johnson Redbook Index report is produced by Redbook Research.

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ISM Manufacturing Index for September, 2007

Earlier today, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) released their Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) for September, 2007:

Predicted: 52.9%
Actual: 52.0%

Every month, the ISM surveys purchasing and supply executives at hundreds of companies across the country that are involved in manufacturing in some form. The resulting index is watched closely by academics, economists and investors because manufacturing accounts for 12% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The PMI is a reliable barometer of U.S. manufacturing: when the PMI is above 50%, U.S. manufacturing is expanding; when it's below 50%, the manufacturing sector is contracting.

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Last month, the PMI was 52.9.

Click here to view the complete ISM report.

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