U.S. Employment Situation – May 2015

The BLS reported this morning,

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 280,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and health care. Mining employment continued to decline.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 34.5 hours in May. The manufacturing workweek was unchanged at 40.7 hours, and factory overtime remained at 3.3 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 33.7 hours.

In May, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 8 cents to $24.96. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.3 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 6 cents to $20.97 in May.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for March was revised from +85,000 to +119,000, and the change for April was revised from +223,000 to +221,000. With these revisions, employment gains in March and April combined were 32,000 more than previously reported. Over the past 3 months, job gains have averaged 207,000 per month.

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US Sector ETF Performance – June 4

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Daily Risk Monitor – June 4

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The future for commodities – FT

John Authers and Greg Meyer discuss their exclusive interview with Gary Gorton and Geert Rouwenhorst whose groundbreaking 2004 research into commodity futures revolutionised commodity investment, but has since been heavily criticised.

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US Sector ETF Performance – June 3

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Daily Risk Monitor – June 3

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US Sector ETF Performance – June 2

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Daily Risk Monitor – June 2

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Crucial week for currencies – FT

The dollar’s strength is the foremost factor in currency markets, with the Fed expected to be the first major central bank to raise rates. The FT’s Roger Blitz and Ralph Atkins discuss the impact of this week’s data and two central bank meetings.

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US Sector ETF Performance – May 29

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