Wednesday was marked by ADP job figures. The private sector recorded the third-best showing for jobs creation during the current economic recovery, according to new figures released by payrolls processor ADP on Wednesday. The U.S. added 298,000 private-sector jobs in February, the most since April 2014, according to ADP.
On Thursday, Unemployment Claims figures were released. In the week ending March 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 243,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 236,500, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 234,250.
Focus of the Friday's session was on NFP data. U.S. employers added jobs at an above-average pace for a second month on outsized gains in construction and manufacturing while wage growth picked up, as the labor market continued its steady improvement in the new year. The 235,000 increase followed a 238,000 rise in January that was more than previously estimated, the best back-to-back rise since July, a Labor Department report showed Friday in Washington. The unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent, and wages grew 2.8 percent from February 2016.
This week markets will be looking at:
PPI (Tuesday 13:30)
CPI (Wednesday 13:30)
Retail Sales (Wednesday 13:30)
Empire State Manufacturing Index (Wednesday 13:30)
Federal Funds Rate/ FOMC Statement (Wednesday 19:00)
Philly Fed Manufacturing Index (Thursday 13:30)
Unemployment Claims (Thursday 13:30)
Building Permits/Housing Starts (Thursday 13:30)
Industrial Production (Friday 14:15)
Prelim UoM Consumer Sentiment (Friday 16:00)
