James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, suggests that it is a really strong US payrolls figure for June with 224,000 jobs created versus the 160,000 consensus.
Key Quotes
“The previous two months of data saw a net downward revision of 11,000, but nothing can take away from the fact this is a surprisingly strong outcome.”
“Manufacturing payrolls rose 17,000 despite the struggles in the sector relating to an inventory overhang and uncertainty on the trade front. Private payrolls in total rose 191,000 versus the 150,000 expected. Service sector employment rose 154,000 led by business services and education & health, with government employment up 33,000.”
“The unemployment rate moved up to 3.7% from 3.6% (it went to 3.67% from 3.62% for those who are sticklers for accuracy), but this reflects a rise in the participation rate – disaffected former workers being attracted back into the labour force, which should be seen as an encouraging story.”
“There was some softness on the wage front though. Average hourly earnings rose just 0.2% month-on-month versus 0.3% expected and our own forecast of 0.4%. Annual wage growth remains at 3.1%, which is a little disappointing given the tightness of the jobs market. However, it is well ahead of all the key inflation measures so real household disposable income growth is in great shape, which bodes well for consumer spending in the months ahead.”
Share
