Markets

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The just-released Employment Situation Report from the Department of Labor for January 2023 reports an eye-opening 517,000 new payroll jobs. This is much higher than forecasts which predicted 200,000 or less. Payroll growth was widespread across sectors of the economy, with the largest gains in leisure/hospitality (128,000) and professional services (82,000) - representing the lowest and highest skill groups in the labor market. But growth was very widespread across sectors. The household data - which broadly move in the same direction as payroll but not necessarily in each month - were relatively stable, with unemployment dropping to 3.4% but labor force participation remaining roughly the same (at 62.4%). But perhaps the most important numbers - especially from the Federal Reserve’s point of view - were in hourly wage growth. For all workers, wage growth (on an annualized basis) was 3.6%, and for … [Read more...] about Schizophrenic Job Market: Very Strong Payroll Growth But Modest Wages

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Since 2017, the world has seen 135 significant protests against the political and economic policies of host governments. A review of news articles during this six-year period reveals myriad headlines imploring investors to “run for the hills.” Using the buzz words of “political instability” and “volatile emerging markets”, on-air pundits often urge investors to sell off their investments that are most affected by the civil unrest. Chaos in the streets today means currency devaluation and capital flight tomorrow. Before investors make any rash decisions, there are a few questions they should ask themselves and/or their advisers. The following uses the recent unrest in Peru as an example. Nearly two months ago, protests broke out in Peru, following what many qualified as a coup attempt and subsequent ouster of a democratically elected President, (US News and World Report) and now investors are considering their options in the … [Read more...] about Emerging Market Risk Analysis Must Focus On Resilience (Not Just Disruption)

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Friday’s amazing job numbers — which continue to hit it out of the park — mean that no matter how often Wall Street talks itself into a Fed rate pause, it’s not going to happen any time soon. Barring a crash in commodity prices, inflation will need to fall to 5% before the Fed hits the brakes. “The fed will hate this set of numbers,” says Brian McCarthy, head of investment research firm Macrolens in Stamford, Conn. “January payrolls are always wonky due to annual revisions and an extreme seasonal adjustment, but with both hourly earnings and hours worked also looking much more robust than we were led to believe last month, there is no denying a picture of continued strength in the labor market, which is at odds with a gathering stream of layoff announcements.” The Federal Reserve already raised interest rates a quarter-point this week, its eighth hike since March . Those hikes, of course, could help slow the economy. … [Read more...] about Strong Labor Market Lends Itself To More Fed Hikes, But Not For Long

PRO Only Highlights - Quarterly performance largely backed by improved realisations - Medium-term triggers China plus and protectionist measures for tyre industry - Valuations not inexpensive; but improved medium-term outlook Highlights Fed steps down rate hike size from 50 bps to 25 bps Key challenge is how long will rates remain elevated Services inflation related to labour market harder to crack Global macro improving which may re-set international fund flows Take advantage of recent consolidation for quality domestic counters The US Fed continues to prune the sizes of its rate hikes, from 75 bps to 50 bps to now a conventional rate hike size of 25 bps. With this hike, the target range of the... … [Read more...] about US Fed: Signs of disinflation, but labour market still tight

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Despite waves of layoffs hitting some of the nation’s largest employers, the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, and the labor market added back more jobs than expected in January—adding to signs the economy may not be slowing down enough enough for the Federal Reserve to back away from its aggressive campaign to tame rising prices. Key Facts Total employment increased by 517,000 in January—significantly more than the 187,000 new jobs economists were expecting, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department. Despite growing announcements of corporate layoffs last month, the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%—coming in below expectations for it to tick up to 3.6% and instead hitting the lowest level since 1969. "While we have seen many reported layoffs in the tech industry, there are other segments that are continuing to thrive," Bill Armstrong, president of recruiting at Safeguard … [Read more...] about Labor Market Added 517,000 Jobs In January—Unemployment Rate Falls To 54-Year Low Of 3.4%

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Some business leaders still believe imposed pressure, iron-fisted leadership and punitive criticism build the organization and the company’s bottom line. Plus, they think if leaders require employees to work longer and harder, the business gets a bigger bang for its buck. I spoke to a CEO of a major corporation who said he was glad his employees were not taking all their vacation days because it saved the company money. What he failed to see was his outdated practices don’t increase profits; they increase stress, which in turn undermines engagement and profitability; whereas, soft skills decrease stress and increase engagement and profits. The Lingering Myth Of Soft Versus Hard Skills A lingering myth links soft skills—such as compassion, trust, empathy, connection and kindfulness—with weakness and ineptness, stigmatizing them as irrelevant and less valuable than hard, technical skills. Experts say that tough business … [Read more...] about 5 Pivotal Soft Skills Essential For Success In Today’s Global Market

File photo of OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite According to market analysts at Counterpoint Research, the Indian smartphone market will see slow growth in 2023. The analysts say that economic inflation concerns will keep most customers at bay. According to the analyst report, smartphone shipments in India fell 9 percent in 2022, falling to 152 million units shipped. Comparatively, shipments grew 11 percent in 2021, with 169 million units shipped. The report says that 2023 will register single-digit growth at best, with analysts from IDC predicting a flat 2023, in terms of shipments. Also Read | OnePlus 11R design, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC confirmed ahead launch; will debut as OnePlus Ace 2 in China Counterpoint said that the longer life-cycle of smartphones was also playing a part, with customers content with their devices for far longer than usual. The report said that the average refresh was cycle for smartphones in India was six months in 2020, which has now grown to … [Read more...] about Indian smartphone market to see slow growth in 2023: Report

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ensuring authenticity, no marketing materials for the brand or models are ever retouched Morocco is known for a lot of things like distinct architecture, mountains, and desert, but it’s not necessarily known for lingerie. And the UAE isn’t known for lingerie the way it is known for being visionary and entrepreneurial. But, there are several homegrown brands that have popped up in the UAE over the past years and Nessiam is one of them. Its production is done in Morocco but the company is Dubai based. It’s pandemic launched lingerie and swimwear brand founded by two men: Simohammed Damiri, who is of Moroccan origin and Hamza Aouadi, who is of Algerian origin. The brand is gaining traction in the US, especially for its body positivity ethos. And it stands by the idea that sexiness doesn’t have a size, as it creates affordable and sustainable looks that includes plus sizes. According to African Heroes , Nessiam … [Read more...] about Moroccan Lingerie Brand Nessiam Expands Into The US Market

Any marketing campaign, let alone digital marketing, will require a proper budget to meet the goals set in the beginning. Many aspects of digital marketing for SMEs have been covered in Smart Growth but many SME owners have expressed an interest in knowing how a digital marketing strategy can be built for results. An effective strategy making needs the following five steps: SWOT analysis, business objective setting, segmentation, buyer persona development, and budget setting. Most of us are familiar with these five steps but perhaps doing it right will make the difference in effective delivery. Conducting SWOT: Most executives and SME owners are familiar with this jargon, which is nothing but an acronym for analysisng strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. When we do this for our clients requiring strategy development, we examine the internal strengths and weaknesses, and the external opportunities and threats. Strengths include critical internal elements that … [Read more...] about Building an effective digital marketing strategy for SMEs

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Serie A January transfer market window will suffer significantly from the financial wounds inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. This winter, Serie A fans will not experience the same calciomercato liveliness that, in recent years, has brought high-profile names to Italian soccer, such as Cristiano Ronaldo , Zlatan Ibrahimović , Romelu Lukaku, and Christian Eriksen. That is the argument supported by Eleonora Trotta, who has been covering Serie A’s transfer market news for more than a decade as an editor for Italian online newspaper Calciomercato.it . Trotta explains that a lack of funds is forcing sporting directors across all Serie A clubs to take a very prudent approach to transfer negotiations. “The main trend is that the budget (for clubs) does not exist,” Trotta told me. “It’s basically zero.” A Risk-Averse Approach Because clubs cannot afford investing in risky transfer deals, … [Read more...] about What To Expect From The Serie A January Transfer Market Window As Teams Work With Limited Budgets