Recession and Depression

Why Low Layoff Numbers Don’t Mean the Labor Market Is Strong

Past economic cycles show that unemployment starts to tick up ahead of a recession, with wide-scale layoffs coming only later.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual conference in Wyoming gets a lot of buzz. Here’s why it matters for Wall Street and the economy.

The economy has repeatedly defied predictions of a downturn since the pandemic recovery began. Now signs of strength contend with shakier readings.

There is a growing view that the U.S. business cycle has changed (for better) in a more diversified economy. To some, that sounds like tempting fate.

Meet the 1990 and 1991 babies, a massive microgeneration in lifelong competition for America’s economic resources, reshaping the world around them.

A widely predicted recession never showed up. Now, economists are assessing what the unexpected resilience tells us about the future.

The increase in gross domestic product, while slower than in the previous period, showed the resilience of the recovery from the pandemic’s upheaval.

Economists have become increasingly optimistic about the odds of a soft landing. But as 2024 begins to unfold, risks remain.

It’s too soon to declare victory, but the economic outlook seems sunnier than it did a year ago, and many economists are predicting a surprising win.

Pandemic stimulus, a strong job market and climbing stock and home prices boosted net worth at a record pace, Federal Reserve data showed.