Fatta bella passeggiata sul lungomare senza inserire ordini di short....
ora l'ho inserito sempre con stop anti carry
AP
Unemployment Rate Declines in February
Friday March 9, 8:39 am ET
By Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer
Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.5 Percent in Feb.; Losses of Factory Jobs Restrain Payroll Growth
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's unemployment rate dipped to 4.5 percent in February even as big losses of construction and factory jobs restrained overall payroll growth. Wages grew briskly.
The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, offered a mixed picture of the employment climate.
Job gains in December and January turned out to be stronger than previously estimated, with 226,000 and 146,000 new jobs being created respectively.
The new tally of jobs added to the economy in February was close to economists' forecast for a gain of around 100,000. They had predicted the unemployment rate would hold steady at 4.6 percent.
Workers' wages grew quickly last month.
Average hourly earnings rose to $17.16, a 0.4 percent increase from January. That was slightly faster than the 0.3 percent gain economists were expecting. Over the 12 months ending in February, wages grew by 4.1 percent.
Strong wage growth is welcome by workers and supports consumer spending, a key ingredient to the country's economic health. But a rapid pickup -- if sustained and not blunted by other economic forces -- can raise fears about inflation. Spiraling inflation would whittle away any wage gains, hurting workers' wallets, and isn't good for the overall economy, either.
The new employment figures come as President Bush continues to get lukewarm ratings for his economic stewardship. Just 41 percent of the public approves of the president's handling of the economy, compared with 57 percent who disapprove.
Democrats, who accuse Bush of not doing enough to close the gap on economic inequality, say a top priority is getting final agreement in Congress on legislation to boost the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour. The wage hasn't budged for nearly 10 years. Democrats also are pushing legislation making it easier for workers to start unions against company wishes.