People who are unemployed are finding it relatively easier to find jobs. All around, it's a pretty good situation for the labor market.
The service sector of the economy is still growing at a good pace and that is consistent with what we were seeing in the employment report for November.
The good news is that this is much more moderate than we had seen in September and August and it brings the annual inflation rate down to 4.3 percent.
The narrower trade deficit is a positive piece of news for February. However, with energy prices going up recently, you have to remember that there's a good chance that the trade deficit will widen again over the next (few) months.
The drop in jobless claims is a darn good number. A number in the range of 325,000 to 350,000 is a level that is more consistent with healthy economic growth,
All kinds of indicators point to a very good report on April employment ... with jobless claims figures coming in where they are and the consumer confidence indicators ... all point to solid job creation.
It's a good sign that the consumer has some momentum going into the start of the year and that probably reflects the fact that the labor market is continuing to improve, albeit modestly. It's a positive for economic growth this year.