Economy Week Ahead: Interest Rates and Jobs Market in Focus

The Labor Department releases September statistics on job openings, hiring, resignations and layoffs. Job openings fell 10% in August to a seasonally adjusted 10.1 million, adding to signs that the labor market is slowing.

S&P Global and the Institute for Supply Management have released an October survey of consumer managers looking at U.S. manufacturing industry trends. The data company will also release production surveys in Canada, the UK, India and Russia.

The Commerce Department releases September figures on construction spending, which fell in August for the third consecutive month as home construction declined.

Wednesday

The Federal Reserve announced the latest interest rate hike as it tries to stabilize the economy and reduce inflation. The central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percent at its last three meetings and is expected to do so again at its November meeting.

Thursday

The Bank of England has announced its latest interest rate hike as the UK grapples with rising inflation. The central bank raised rates for the seventh time in a row at its previous meeting.

The Labor Department reports the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits for the last week of Oct. 29. Initial jobless claims have been nearing the 2019 weekly rate of about 218,000 in recent weeks, a sign that employers are working.

The Labor Department releases data on the third quarter of US nonfarm payrolls and labor costs. Yields fell for a second straight quarter in the April-June period as payrolls were boosted by labor productivity.

The Commerce Department reports on US trade in September. The department’s preliminary estimates showed that the trade deficit widened in the same month as imports fell and imports rose.

S&P Global and the Institute for Supply Management have released an October survey of consumer managers looking at economic activity in the US services sector. Preliminary estimates from S&P Global showed that the labor sector contracted in October faster than the previous month.

Friday

The Department of Labor reported on the state of the labor market in the United States in October, including job gains, the unemployment rate and workers’ compensation. Wage growth remained strong in September, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5% from 3.7% in August, roughly half of the year-low reached at the end of July.

Write to Bryan Mena at [email protected]