Hiring resumed in October while consumer spending remained solid. Here are the five things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending November 2.
Job creation rebounded in October. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports nonfarm payrolls grew by a seasonally adjusted 250,000 during the month, up from the 118,000 job gain in September (which appeared to have been suppressed by the landfall of Hurricane Florence). Private sector employers added 246,000 workers during the month, split between 67,000 among goods-producing employers and 179,000 in the service sector. Industries adding the most workers during the month were health care/social assistance (+46,700), leisure/hospitality (+42,000), professional/business services (+35,000), manufacturing (+32,000), and construction (+30,000). The average workweek grew by 1/10th of an hour to 34.5 hours (October 2017: 34.4 hours) while average weekly earnings expanded by $4.45 to $941.85 (+3.4 percent versus a year earlier).
A separate household survey kept the unemployment rate at its post-recession low of 3.7 percent. 711,000 people entered the labor force during the month, putting the labor force participation rate of 62.9 percent. The labor force participation rate for adults aged 25 to 54 rose to 82.3, its highest point since the May 2010. The median length of unemployment inched up 2/10ths of a week to 9.4 weeks (October 2017: 9.8 weeks) while the number of part-time workers seeking a full-time opportunity held relatively stable during the month at 4.621 million (October 2017: 4.880 million). The broadest measure of labor underutilization (the “U-6” series) tied that from August with its lowest mark since before the recession at 7.4 percent.
Consumers continued spending in September. Real personal spending (adjusted for inflation) grew 0.3 percent during the month, slower than August’s 0.4 percent increase but matching the gains for every preceding month since April. The Census Bureau finds that spending on goods rose 0.7 percent, split between gains for durable and nondurable goods of 1.8 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. Spending on services was flat during the month. Nominal consumer spending grew at a faster pace than had personal income (+0.3 percent versus +0.2 percent). Nominal personal income gained 0.2 percent while real personal income inched up 0.1 percent. As a result, the real savings rate shed 2/10ths of a percentage point to +6.2 percent. Over the past year, real personal consumption expenditures have grown 3.0 percent, just ahead of the 12-month comparable for real disposable personal income (+2.9 percent).
The trade deficit expanded further in September. The Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates exports grew 1.5 percent during the month to a seasonally adjusted $212.6 billion (+7.2 percent versus September 2017) while imports also increased 1.5 percent to $266.6 billion (+9.8 percent versus September 2017). As a result, the U.S. trade deficit widened by 1.5 percent during the month to -$54.0 billion, 21.6 percent larger than the deficit during the same month a year earlier. The trade deficit for the first nine months of 2018 (-$445.2 billion) was 10.1 percent larger than that of the first nine months of 2017. The goods deficit expanded by $0.6 billion during September to -$77.2 billion while the services surplus shrank by $0.1 billion to +$23.2 billion. The U.S. had its largest goods deficit with China (-$37.4 billion), the European Union (-$14.2 billion), and Mexico (-$7.5 billion).
Manufacturing grew in October at its slowest pace since the spring. The headline index from the Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing Report on Business (PMI) shed 2.1 points during the month to a reading of 57.7, its lowest reading since April. Four of the PMI’s five components pulled back from their September marks: new orders, production, employment, and inventories. The measure of supplier deliveries was the sole PMI component to improve during the month. Thirteen of 18 manufacturing industries expanded during the month, led by textiles, electrical equipment/appliances, and apparel. The press release noted that comments received from survey respondents “reflect continued expanding business strength” but also that the “expansion of new exports orders softened.”
Factory orders grew in September, pulled up by the defense sector. The Census Bureau reports new orders for manufactured goods totaled a seasonally adjusted $515.3 billion, up 0.7 percent for the month (its fourth gain over the past five months). Driving the increase was defense aircraft orders more than doubling (+118.7 percent). Net of all defense goods, new factory orders were flat. Durable goods orders rose 0.7 percent while orders of nondurables gained 0.6 percent. Factory orders over the first nine months of 2018 have totaled $4.495 trillion, up 8.4 percent over the same nine months in 2017. Shipments increased for the 16th time in 17 months, growing 0.9 percent to $509.8 billion. Unfilled orders gained 0.8 percent to $1.187 trillion (its tenth increase in 11 months) while inventories expanded for the 23rd consecutive month with a 0.5 percent bounce.
Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending October 27, 2018, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 214,000 (-2,000 vs. previous week; -20,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 213,750 (-8.9% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Productivity (2018Q3, Nonfarm Labor Productivity, seasonally adjusted annualized rate): +2.2% vs. 2018Q2, +1.3% vs. 2017Q3.
– Conference Board Consumer Sentiment (October 2018, Index (1985=100), seasonally adjusted): 137.9 (vs. September 2018: 135.3, vs. October 2017: 126.2).
– Case-Shiller Home Price Index (August 2018, 20-City Index, seasonally adjusted): +0.1% vs. July 2018, +5.5% vs. August 2017).
– Construction Spending (September 2018, Value of Construction Put in Place, seasonally adjusted annualized rate): $1.329 trillion (Unchanged vs. August 2018, +7.2% vs. September 2017).
– Bankruptcy Filings (12-month period ending September 30, 2018, Business and Non-Business Filings): 773,375 (-2.2% vs. 12-month period ending September 30, 2017).
– Agricultural Prices (September 2018, Prices Received by Farmers): -1.5% vs. August 2018, -4.6% vs. September 2017.
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What We Learned About the U.S. Economy Last Week 