18 April 2024
The U.S. labor market continues to show strength as weekly jobless claims held steady at a low 212,000 for the week ending April 13, according to the Labor Department. This stability in unemployment filings indicates ongoing resilience in the job market, which, alongside persistent high inflation, is influencing expectations that the Federal Reserve might postpone interest rate cuts until September. Some economists are even skeptical about any rate cuts occurring this year. Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, noted that the labor market is likely to adjust through a slowdown in hiring rather than an increase in layoffs, suggesting continued economic stability without significant job losses.