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Wednesday August 17, 2016

// August 11th, 2016 // Comments Off on Wednesday August 17, 2016 // Daily News

US weekly jobless claims total 266,000 vs 265,000 estimate
Reuters

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to sustained labor market strength in early August that could help spur faster economic growth.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 266,000 for the week ended Aug. 6, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 2,000 fewer applications received than previously reported.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast initial claims declining to 265,000 in the latest week. A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors influencing last week’s claims data and no states had been estimated.
Claims have now been below 300,000, a threshold associated with a strong labor market, for 75 consecutive weeks, the longest streak since 1973.
With the labor market perceived to be either at or approaching full employment, there is probably little room for further declines in claims. A report on Wednesday showed layoffs fell to a near two-year low in June.
The robust labor market is boosting consumer spending and putting a floor under the economy after an inventory correction and lower oil prices restricted GDP growth to an average 1.0 percent annualized rate in the last three quarters.
The economy added a total of 547,000 jobs in June and July. The low number of claims suggests job growth momentum was retained in early August.
Thursday’s claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid increased 14,000 to 2.16 million in the week ended July 30. The four-week average of the so-called continuing claims rose 500 to 2.14 million.

Today’s Inspiration

A Steadfast Heart

by Joyce Meyer – posted August 11, 2016

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody.
– Psalm 57:7

In order to experience victory in our lives and achieve great things for God, it is crucial that we choose to be determined. The Bible says that Jesus steadfastly and determinedly set His face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), and we can do the same thing as we live for God. If we are going to accomplish anything worthwhile, it is important we “steadfastly and determinedly” set our face in that direction and not give up.

When you receive Christ as your Savior and Lord, Satan will oppose you at every turn. He wants you to give up! The devil is not going to roll out a red carpet for us just because we decide to receive Christ. But Jesus has already overcome the devil. Satan is a defeated foe. His opposition is not strong enough to stop you if you are close to God, walking in His strength and will for your life.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that everything in life should be easy for us. Ask for God’s help, receive His grace, and be determined to do the will of God, to stay positive and happy, and to walk in the peace of God no matter what.

Press on with holy determination, and God’s plan will be fulfilled in your life.

Friday August 5, 2016

// August 5th, 2016 // Comments Off on Friday August 5, 2016 // Daily News

These swing-state votes may turn on jobs, wages

CNBC.com
As the presidential candidates focus their energies on a handful of swing states up for grabs, they’ll be hammering away on the key issues of the
That means Democrat Hillary Clinton may fare better in states where job and wage growth has been stronger than the national averages. GOP nominee Donald Trump will likely get better traction on pocketbook issues in states where employment and paychecks have been growing more slowly. To better assess the impact of swing state economics, CNBC took a look at the data to see which way voters in those states may be leaning.
Based on voter registrations and past voting patterns, these eight states are considered toss-ups: Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. (Three states, Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin are seen as leaning toward Clinton; four others, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri and Utah are thought to be leaning toward Trump. The rest are either solidly Republican or Democratic).
Some of the swing states will be more important than others. Just four battleground states — Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Virginia — come with a combined 66 electoral votes, or 24 percent of the 270 needed to win the election.
Based on the most recent state unemployment data, most swing states are doing better than the national average 4.9 percent jobless rate. New Hampshire leads the pack with a 2.8 percent jobless rate, thanks largely to the booming Boston-area economy within commuting distance of the southeast portion of the state.
The job market is weaker in Pennsylvania and Ohio, where unemployment is higher than the national average. That could hurt Democrats in two states with big Electoral College votes.
While the national jobless rate has fallen roughly in half since the depths of the Great Recession, job growth has been uneven in the battleground states. Since the national trough in early 2010, Sun Belt states like Florida, Arizona and North Carolina have seen payrolls rise faster than the national average.
But states with older, industrial economies like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin haven’t fared as well. Michigan, which is seen as leaning Democratic, has bounced back well since the trough. But employment levels there and in Ohio still haven’t recovered to levels seen before the Great Recession in late 2009.
Both campaigns have pledged to boost wages for American households, a theme that will play better in some battleground states than others.
Since the end of the Great Recession, wages have generally held up in states with the biggest electoral vote prizes, with the exception of Florida. Over the last 10 years, wages in all of the battleground states have outpaced the national average.

Today’s Inspiration

Be an Example

by Joyce Meyer – posted August 05, 2016

But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.
– 1 Corinthians 5:11

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians not to associate with a believer who had a foul tongue, which included gossiping and criticizing. In order to be a good example to people who are sinning, you must be careful not to do the negative things they do or to say the hurtful things they say. You don’t want to give the impression that you think you are better than they are, but you must lovingly, humbly, and gently decline to be involved in conversation and in other behaviors you know are displeasing to God.

Don’t be passive and let other people infect you with their bad attitudes and evil conversation, but instead make a decision to be a good influence on them.

Power Thought: I will not gossip, criticize, or spread rumors about others.