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Wednesday March 16, 2016

// March 10th, 2016 // Comments Off on Wednesday March 16, 2016 // Daily News

US weekly jobless claims total 259,000 vs 275,000 estimate

Reuters
A job seeker reviews an employment application at the San Jose Career Fair in San Jose, California.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A job seeker reviews an employment application at the San Jose Career Fair in San Jose, California.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, hitting its lowest level since October, pointing to sustained strength in the labor market that should further dispel fears of a recession.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 259,000 for the week ended March 5, the lowest reading since mid-October, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week’s claims were revised to show 1,000 fewer applications received than previously reported.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims slipping to 275,000 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 the 300,000 threshold, which is associated with healthy labor market conditions, for a year – the longest run since the early 1970s. Last week’s drop saw claims breaking outside their recent 262,000-294,000 range.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 2,500 to 267,500 last week, the lowest level since late October.

Today’s Inspiration

Christlikeness

by Joyce Meyer – posted March 10, 2016

For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.
—Romans 8:29

The best goal a Christian can have is Christlikeness. Jesus is the express image of the Father, and we are called to follow in His footsteps. He came as the Pioneer of our faith to show us by example how we can live. We have the chance to behave with people the way Jesus did. Our goal is not to see how successful we can be in business or how famous we can be. It is not prosperity, popularity, or even building a big ministry, but to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual maturity or Christlikeness cannot be obtained without “dying to self.” That simply means saying yes to God and no to ourselves when our will and God’s are in opposition. Jesus told His disciples that if they wanted to follow Him, they would need to take up their cross daily.

To follow Christ and become like Him, we choose to forget about what we want—our plans, having our own way—and instead trust Him to show us what His will is for us. His will always leads to deep joy and satisfaction.

You are God’s Ambassador—represent Him well!

Wednesdady March 9, 2016

// March 7th, 2016 // Comments Off on Wednesdady March 9, 2016 // Daily News

Stocks have crossed an important threshold: Technician
Stephanie Yang
CNBC.com

After seeing the worst start to a year since 2009, stocks are starting to turn around. The S&P 500 rose more than 2 percent in the first week of March, and some investors are betting on a move back into the green by the month’s end.
“From what we see on our desk, there are people investing now, looking for the S&P to go positive by the end of the first quarter,” Nicholas Colas of Convergex said Friday on CNBC’s “Trading Nation.”
The market strategist said stocks have gone from being very oversold to modestly overbought in the recent rally. Nonetheless, Colas sees more room to run, given strength across many S&P sectors.
“This has been one of the most hated rallies I think I’ve seen in my career, because things looked so bad just a couple weeks ago,” he said. “You’ve had a big rotation out of that pessimism about global growth to thinking, maybe the U.S. economy is going to be OK this year and the rest of the world isn’t going to fall off the edge.”
According to technician Craig Johnson of Piper Jaffray, the S&P’s break above 1,950 was a move past its “pain trade threshold,” and a sign that stocks will go even higher.
“If we stayed below that, it was more painful for people to be long,” he said Friday on “Trading Nation.” “But now that we’re above 1,950, the pain trade is up and I don’t think investors have enough capital to put back to work at this point in time.”
Read MoreThe S&P is closing in on a critical level
Johnson said market breadth is also pointing to more gains ahead, and has a target of 2,350 for the S&P 500. On Friday, the index closed just below 2,000.
“Back in February, we reached levels in terms of market breadth that we’ve only seen 20 times previously,” he said. Measuring market gains after those times, Johnson said stocks often saw double-digit returns over the next year. “We think the market has gotten washed out.”

Today’s Inspiration

Worship with Your Whole Heart

by Joyce Meyer – posted March 07, 2016

I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!
—Psalm 57:2

Great worship leaders know to come into the presence of God with their entire being, prepared to give thanks and praise (see Deuteronomy 10:12). They don’t just roll out of bed, throw water on their face, and run a comb through their hair before church. They know that the anointing comes from a sincere pursuit of loving God with their whole heart.

Likewise, as you approach God in the morning, come to Him with a heart full of worship, expressing your awe of Him for His faithfulness toward you. He promises that He will never forsake you, but will be with you all day long (see Joshua 1:5).