{"id":10430,"date":"2014-07-28T21:52:51","date_gmt":"2014-07-29T01:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goldstocksforex.com\/?p=10430"},"modified":"2014-07-28T21:52:51","modified_gmt":"2014-07-29T01:52:51","slug":"is-unemployment-really-falling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/","title":{"rendered":"Is unemployment really falling?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>US unemployment has fallen close to the Fed&#8217;s &#8220;natural unemployment rate&#8221; of close to 5.5%. Does that mean that all is well?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\n<p>Chart: The unemployment rate vs. Fed&#039;s measure of  &quot;natural&quot; unemployment rate (NAIRU) over the past 20 years &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/zq2fxtcHLt\">pic.twitter.com\/zq2fxtcHLt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SoberLook.com (@SoberLook) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SoberLook\/statuses\/493846469947174912\">July 28, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Not if we consider the participation rate, plotted below as the ratio of non-farm employment to total population.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" width=\"525\" height=\"349\" alt=\"Employment Participation Rate\" title=\"Employment Participation Rate\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png?resize=525%2C349&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Participation peaked in 2000 at close to 0.47 (or 47%) after climbing for several decades with increased involvement of women in the workforce. But the ratio fell to 0.42 post-GFC and has only recovered to 0.435. We are still 3.5% below the high from 14 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>When we focus on male employment, ages 25 to 54, we exclude several obscuring factors:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the rising participation rate of women;<\/li>\n<li>an increasing <em>baby-boomer<\/em> retiree population; and<\/li>\n<li>changes in the student population under 25.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" width=\"525\" height=\"349\" alt=\"Employment Rate Men 25 to 54\" title=\"Employment Rate Men 25 to 54\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-men-25to54.png?resize=525%2C349&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The chart still displays a dramatic long-term fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US unemployment has fallen close to the Fed&#8217;s &#8220;natural unemployment rate&#8221; of close to 5.5%. Does that mean that all is well? Chart: The unemployment rate vs. Fed&#039;s measure of &quot;natural&quot; unemployment rate (NAIRU) over the past 20 years &#8211; pic.twitter.com\/zq2fxtcHLt &mdash; SoberLook.com (@SoberLook) July 28, 2014 Not if we consider the participation rate, plotted &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Is unemployment really falling?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,34],"tags":[2418,2608,3531],"class_list":["post-10430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deficit-spending-employment","category-us-canada-countries-regions","tag-natural-unemployment-rate","tag-participation-rate","tag-unemployment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is unemployment really falling? - the patient investor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is unemployment really falling? - the patient investor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"US unemployment has fallen close to the Fed&#8217;s &#8220;natural unemployment rate&#8221; of close to 5.5%. Does that mean that all is well? Chart: The unemployment rate vs. Fed&#039;s measure of &quot;natural&quot; unemployment rate (NAIRU) over the past 20 years &#8211; pic.twitter.com\/zq2fxtcHLt &mdash; SoberLook.com (@SoberLook) July 28, 2014 Not if we consider the participation rate, plotted &hellip; Continue reading &quot;Is unemployment really falling?&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"the patient investor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61572934660810\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-07-29T01:52:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/static.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ColinTwiggs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ColinTwiggs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ColinTwiggs\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb072791ac83e8bae585007c133d54a5\"},\"headline\":\"Is unemployment really falling?\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-07-29T01:52:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":152,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.incrediblecharts.com\\\/images\\\/2014\\\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png\",\"keywords\":[\"natural unemployment rate\",\"participation rate\",\"Unemployment\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Deficit Spending &amp; Employment\",\"US &amp; Canada\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/\",\"name\":\"Is unemployment really falling? - the patient investor\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.incrediblecharts.com\\\/images\\\/2014\\\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-07-29T01:52:51+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.incrediblecharts.com\\\/images\\\/2014\\\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.incrediblecharts.com\\\/images\\\/2014\\\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/2014\\\/07\\\/28\\\/is-unemployment-really-falling\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is unemployment really falling?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Patient Investor\",\"description\":\"Smart. Strategic. Unfiltered. \",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Patient Investor Pty Ltd\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-cropped-patience-bg-1-inverted-400x400-1.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-cropped-patience-bg-1-inverted-400x400-1.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1\",\"width\":250,\"height\":250,\"caption\":\"The Patient Investor Pty Ltd\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/profile.php?id=61572934660810\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/colin_thepatientinvestor\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb072791ac83e8bae585007c133d54a5\",\"name\":\"ColinTwiggs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/876c4d990bb2af282291d5f3ff81533c6deccc0c607846086647ca3272fac0ca?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/876c4d990bb2af282291d5f3ff81533c6deccc0c607846086647ca3272fac0ca?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/876c4d990bb2af282291d5f3ff81533c6deccc0c607846086647ca3272fac0ca?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ColinTwiggs\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thepatientinvestor.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/colin58s\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is unemployment really falling? - the patient investor","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is unemployment really falling? - the patient investor","og_description":"US unemployment has fallen close to the Fed&#8217;s &#8220;natural unemployment rate&#8221; of close to 5.5%. Does that mean that all is well? Chart: The unemployment rate vs. Fed&#039;s measure of &quot;natural&quot; unemployment rate (NAIRU) over the past 20 years &#8211; pic.twitter.com\/zq2fxtcHLt &mdash; SoberLook.com (@SoberLook) July 28, 2014 Not if we consider the participation rate, plotted &hellip; Continue reading \"Is unemployment really falling?\"","og_url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/","og_site_name":"the patient investor","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61572934660810","article_published_time":"2014-07-29T01:52:51+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/static.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"ColinTwiggs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ColinTwiggs","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/"},"author":{"name":"ColinTwiggs","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb072791ac83e8bae585007c133d54a5"},"headline":"Is unemployment really falling?","datePublished":"2014-07-29T01:52:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/"},"wordCount":152,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png","keywords":["natural unemployment rate","participation rate","Unemployment"],"articleSection":["Deficit Spending &amp; Employment","US &amp; Canada"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/","url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/","name":"Is unemployment really falling? - the patient investor","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png","datePublished":"2014-07-29T01:52:51+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2014\/2014-07-29-emp-participation.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/28\/is-unemployment-really-falling\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is unemployment really falling?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/","name":"The Patient Investor","description":"Smart. Strategic. Unfiltered. ","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#organization","name":"The Patient Investor Pty Ltd","url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thepatientinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-cropped-patience-bg-1-inverted-400x400-1.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thepatientinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-cropped-patience-bg-1-inverted-400x400-1.png?fit=250%2C250&ssl=1","width":250,"height":250,"caption":"The Patient Investor Pty Ltd"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61572934660810","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/colin_thepatientinvestor"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb072791ac83e8bae585007c133d54a5","name":"ColinTwiggs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/876c4d990bb2af282291d5f3ff81533c6deccc0c607846086647ca3272fac0ca?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/876c4d990bb2af282291d5f3ff81533c6deccc0c607846086647ca3272fac0ca?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/876c4d990bb2af282291d5f3ff81533c6deccc0c607846086647ca3272fac0ca?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ColinTwiggs"},"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/author\/colin58s\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9tQ4n-2Ie","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32570,"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/09\/us-labor-market-recovering-but-beware-high-interest-rates\/","url_meta":{"origin":10430,"position":0},"title":"US labor market recovering but beware of high interest rates","author":"Colin Twiggs","date":"May 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Atlanta Fed GDPNow estimates for Q1 and Q2 are weak, at annualized rates of 0.37% and 2.16% respectively. But our real GDP estimates, based on weekly hours worked, show an April recovery to 3.46% (annualized) after an erratic first quarter that averaged 2.24%. That is in line with 3.5% in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Deficit Spending &amp; Employment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Deficit Spending &amp; Employment","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/category\/economy\/deficit-spending-employment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"GDPNow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-05-06-gdpnow.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-05-06-gdpnow.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-05-06-gdpnow.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-05-06-gdpnow.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38490,"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/03\/fed-hikes-now-pain-comes-later\/","url_meta":{"origin":10430,"position":1},"title":"Fed hikes now, pain comes later","author":"Colin Twiggs","date":"November 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Fed Chairman Jerome Powell announced a 75 basis point increase in the Fed funds target rate at his post-FOMC press conference today: \"Today, the FOMC raised our policy interest rate by 75 basis points, and we continue to anticipate that ongoing increases will be appropriate. We are moving our policy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Banks &amp; Interest Rates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Banks &amp; Interest Rates","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/category\/economy\/the-fed-banks-interest-rates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fed Funds Rate","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-11-02-ffr-hike.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-11-02-ffr-hike.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-11-02-ffr-hike.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61087,"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/asx-200-falls-as-outlook-brightens\/","url_meta":{"origin":10430,"position":2},"title":"ASX 200 falls as outlook brightens","author":"Colin Twiggs","date":"February 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The six-month annualized growth rate in the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index rose to a more than two-year high, indicating a \"gradual recovery rather than a sudden surge,\" according to Matthew Hassan at Westpac. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.1% in January 2025, but the trend remained at 4.0%.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Australia &amp; NZ&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Australia &amp; NZ","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/category\/countries-regions\/australia-nz-countries-regions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2025\/2025-02-20-aus-leading.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2025\/2025-02-20-aus-leading.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2025\/2025-02-20-aus-leading.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17135,"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/05\/extraordinary-times-of-low-unemployment-and-low-inflation\/","url_meta":{"origin":10430,"position":3},"title":"Extraordinary times of low unemployment and low inflation","author":"Colin Twiggs","date":"October 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Unemployment fell to 3.7% for September, well below the long-term natural rate of unemployment. This normally signifies a tightening labor market, a precursor to higher inflation. But growth in average hourly earnings dipped slightly, to 2.75% for the past 12 months. Underlying inflationary forces remain subdued. As Fed Chairman Powell\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Deficit Spending &amp; Employment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Deficit Spending &amp; Employment","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/category\/economy\/deficit-spending-employment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31033,"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/18\/inflationary-pressures-to-continue\/","url_meta":{"origin":10430,"position":4},"title":"Fed monetary policy and the stagflation threat","author":"Colin Twiggs","date":"February 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"January retail sales (excluding motor vehicles and parts) are still way above trend -- at $517 billion compared to $445 billion -- indicating continued upward pressure on consumer prices. Despite buoyant retail sales, consumer sentiment has fallen to recession levels. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey fell below 70\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Deficit Spending &amp; Employment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Deficit Spending &amp; Employment","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/category\/economy\/deficit-spending-employment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Retail Sales","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-02-18-retail.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-02-18-retail.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-02-18-retail.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2022\/2022-02-18-retail.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42925,"url":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/08\/strong-jobs-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":10430,"position":5},"title":"Strong jobs report, more rate hikes","author":"Colin Twiggs","date":"July 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest BLS Labor Report shows the economy gained 209,000 jobs in June, after seasonal adjustments. Average weekly hours worked rebounded to 34.4, showing stronger demand. Continued claims (for unemployment insurance) have been trending lower since April. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in June, from 3.7% in May, close\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Banks &amp; Interest Rates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Banks &amp; Interest Rates","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/category\/economy\/the-fed-banks-interest-rates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Job Gains","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2023\/2023-07-07-jobs.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2023\/2023-07-07-jobs.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.incrediblecharts.com\/images\/2023\/2023-07-07-jobs.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}