THE UNITED STATES LABOR RECESSION STARTED ON 9/8/23 AND IS 18 MONTHS ALONG AND COUNTING; 1-1/2 YEARS!! The country also remains in a housing recession and manufacturing recession but an overall US recession continues vacationing with Godot. The Godot Recession (the recession that never arrives) started in 2024 and continues in 2025. This link takes you to the prior labor recession article with more detail and it lists the layoffs occurring in 2025.
How can this be? If America is in labor, housing and manufacturing recessions, than it is guaranteed to be in an overall economic recession. Not anymore, buckaroo. Semiconductors are the new sheriff in town and that sector has gone great guns higher. Further, the AI hype has spiked the Fed punchbowl creating a stock market orgy so obscene that Caligula would blush.
The 15 years of Federal Reserve money-printing gooses stocks higher enriching the wealthy that own the stock market and only creates a few token jobs. It has created a sick economic environment where price discovery no longer exists.
America is a crony capitalism system that creates the land of the have's and have-not's. 30 million in the elite privileged class, and the upper middle class sycophants that service the wealthy, screwed the other 300 million Americans over the last 5 decades. The rich are loaded with cash and it is their spending, along with chips and AI hype, that has kept the economy afloat the last year.
The top 10% wealthy Americans, the 30 million, account for nearly one-half the consumer spending in the US. 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. One-half of Americans do not own a single share of stock. Welcome to the United States, land of crony capitalism, well, not for too much longer.
And we cannot forget King Donnie, the Tariff Man. He promises to slash banking regulations, provide tax cuts, start cutting prices on day one, and provide a chicken in every pot. How do you tell if a politician is lying? His lips are moving. Countries are onto Donnie's schtick and willing to call his bluff.
King Donnie brags that he knows Washington, DC, now since he had a first term but what the orange head does not understand is that everyone knows him as well. Donnie may find the path ahead more difficult than he thinks since people will now be willing to call his bluffs since they know him to be a bloviating blowhard. Trump is back pedaling again on the Canada and Mexico tariffs; the situation changes every 10 minutes. Way to create stability, orange head.
On the good side of the ledger that prevents the overall US recession is chips and AI but that show is getting old and people are less inclined to buy tickets. America's wealthy, that were made filthy rich by the Fed's money-printing, are starting to tighten their wallets and reduce spending. It will not be long before the Mercedes, Escalades and BMW's begin showing up in Aldi, Dollar General and Walmart parking lots. Who does not like a bargain, right?
As Keystone explained in the last article, most businesses sh*t-can their employees in the January through March period since this is when the new yearly budgets begin and it is nice to start with the dead weight gone. The prior article lists the layoffs that occurred this year and it will probably surprise people because the job losses are not as publicized as in the old days. A one-day blurb will say a company is laying workers off and then it disappears.
The 18-month labor recession faces a major test on Friday morning 3/7/25. The unemployment rate is at 4.0%. If the rate remains at 4.0% or higher, the labor recession remains in place. If the rate drops to 3.9% or lower, wow, the labor recession ends and the labor recovery begins, which would be surprising, but who knows nowadays? Another month's data would be needed to confirm the direction change since sometimes the one data point will only be a blip and not matter. The time has come to decide. Beds Are Burning.
The stage is set for a pivotal US Monthly Jobs Report at 8:30 AM EST Friday morning. A 4.0% rate and higher means pain and misery is ahead. A 3.9% rate and lower means that the analysts saying the economy is strong are correct.
Do you hear that? The BLS jobs circus is coming back to town. If you listen close, you can hear the calliope. Will the unemployment rate remain at 4.0% and higher telling you that recession is on the come, or will it be 3.9% and lower signaling that better times are ahead or at least a stasis? Choose your poison.
Note Added 8:27 AM EST: The Challenger Job Report lays an egg. US companies announce over 172K layoffs for last month a big +245% increase from January. For 172,000 families, there is a brown egg in that Easter basket. About one-third of the cuts, 62K, are the federal job cuts by Emperor Musk and DOGE. Yesterday, the ADP Jobs data was weaker than expected reporting only 77K jobs. People are becoming nervous about the labor picture so the build-up to the big US Monthly Jobs Report in 24 hours intensifies.
Note Added 8:31 AM EST: US Jobless Claims are 221K below the prior 242K and continuing the zombie sideways funk week after week and month after month. Unemployment Claims are not going up, and not going down. Continuing claims are 1.897 million above the expected 1.874 million. The roadies are setting-up the circus tents for tomorrow morning's big jobs carnival act where American lives will be juggled in the air by Uncle Sam balancing himself on stilts. The band is getting ready with the music and all look forward to the arrival of the Ringmaster BLS.
Note Added 5:47 PM EST: HPE, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, takes the pipe in the afterhours the stock in collapse down -19%. HPE is axing 5% of its workforce or 2,500 people. Happy Easter. These employees in their fleece vests did not know they were giving up their jobs for Lent. Now grab a box from the copy room, pack up your family vacation pictures, the potted plant that needs watered, the wall plaques including the certificate from that worthless career-building seminar, and the change in the top desk drawer for the vending machine, and get out. Oh yeah, leave your door card with Betty and you will not be permitted access in these offices or the building again. Thanks for your dedication to the company, and giving up your kid's soccer games to kiss our arse, and for working weekends and evenings without pay, and ratting on other employees behind their backs thinking it would get you ahead, we appreciate all that hard work, now get the hell out. The talk up and down Wall Street this evening is the big US Monthly Jobs Report. Will it be 4.0% or 3.9%? For now, the evening's entertainment continues with dancing bee girl. Give her some encouragement. No Rain.
Note Added Friday Morning, 3/7/25, at 4:22 AM EST: The jobs circus is in full swing this morning with analysts walking the tightrope making predictions on the headline jobs number and unemployment rate. Last month's numbers were 143K jobs, a drop to a 4.0% unemployment rate (see above chart), average hourly earnings at 0.5% month on month and 4.1% year on year. Average weekly hours were 34.1. The consensus estimate for this month, with the numbers dropping in 4 hours, is 160K jobs, a steady 4.0% rate, average hourly earnings at 0.3% month on month and 4.1% year on year. Average weekly hours are expected to come in at 34.2. Note that the annual wages number is 4.1% illustrating the Fed's difficulty in finding a path through the current financial and economic maze. When wages start running above 4% or so, steady or rising inflation is guaranteed. If wages are below 4%, that can keep inflation in check. If people are not getting raises, they are not spending as much money, so less money is chasing goods and services. At 4.1% wages, it is another number in no-man's land where it can teeter either way. As explained above, however, the unemployment rate is what matters this morning. A rate of 4.0% and higher is gloom, despair, and agony on thee with bad stuff ahead. A rate of 3.9% and lower paves the way to the end of the 18-mth labor recession and start of a labor recovery that means the economy is stronger than the naysayers think.
Note Added Friday Morning, 3/7/25, at 5:18 AM EST: With about 3 hours remaining before the big Jobs Report, S&P futures are up +18, meaningless until the jobs numbers, VIX is at 24.83 creating market angst, US dollar index 103.59, WTIC oil 67.20, Brent 70.37, and copper is down -0.6%. The yields are; 2-year 3.96%, 5-year 4.04%, 10-year 4.27%, 30-year 4.57%. The 2-10 spread, the yield curve, is 31 bips, not inverted. European indexes are taking the pipe down from -0.5% to -1.5% playing catch-up to the bloodbath in the US stock indexes yesterday. King Donnie's Tariff and Trade Wars create market chaos.
Note Added Friday Morning, 3/7/25, at 8:34 AM EST: The Labor Recession continues with the unemployment rate moving higher to 4.1%. Interestingly, the rate was a hair away from rounding-up to 4.2%. The Jobs Report is 151K jobs, a slight increase in the unemployment rate to 4.1% rate, average hourly earnings at 0.3% month on month and 4.0% year on year. The year on year is below the 4.1% expected. Average weekly hours are steady at 34.2. The U-6 rate is 8.0% popping from 7.5%. The labor participation rate is 62.4% down from the prior 62.6%.
Note Added Friday Morning, 3/7/25, at 8:38 AM EST: S&P +15. VIX 24.10. USD 103.69. WTIC oil 67.36. Brent 70.53. Futures pop higher on the report since people expect more rate cuts in a recession that will goose stocks higher to make the wealthy class richer. The yields are; 2-year 3.91%, 5-year 4.01%, 10-year 4.24%, 30-year 4.56%. The 2-10 spread, the yield curve, is 33 bips. The short end yields move down more than the long end widening the spread by a couple bips. The circus is over for another month, and the wagons are rolling out of town. Wagon Wheel. The carnival will be back, however, on April 4th after the King Donnie Tariff War explodes on 4/2/25. Uncertainty and market confusion rules the day until 4/2/25. If you squint, and look way off in the distance, you can see what looks like the Godot Recession coming into view.
Note Added Saturday, 3/8/25, at 5:00 AM EST: The stock market staggers around on Friday, like a drunk in Times Square, finishing up +0.6% to 5770 above the 200-day MA at 5733 but dipping down to a LOD at 5666 stabbing at the gap from last September. Price bounced off the 50-wk MA at 5648 that creates strong support along with the price action during July, August and September. Most importantly, since it is a cyclical bear market signal, is the 12-month MA at 5674 also where price bounced. It can get real ugly if SPX 5650 fails and the stock market will likely crash. There is no joy, as Jade sings. Isn't it funny how everyone becomes a chartist when markets tank even folks that constantly diss technical trading. Now is no different. Idiots talking about a subject they do not understand. Watch the 50-wk and especially the 12-mth instead of the 200, jackasses. King Donnie is doing a good job of creating chaos in the US and around the world, and now he has blood on his small pale white hands. Trump is screwing our ally Ukraine cutting off intelligence leaving them defenseless. Dirtbag Dictator Putin continues sending missiles killing Ukrainians. The murderer Putin launches 40 strikes onto Ukraine soil over the last day while Donnie holds Zelensky's hands behind his back. Way to go, Donnie, you now have the blood of 23 dead Ukrainians on your hands (the Russian missiles would have been shot down if Trump was not screwing Ukraine). People are wondering why prices are going up when the orange head promised to drop prices from day one. You be stupid if you believed the lie. The stock market is watching the Donnie Trump Tariff and Trade Wars and the Ukraine War to see if the orange head continues kissing Putin's behind while he kills Ukrainians. What a mess. Hey, is that the Godot Recession coming down Main Street? The American circus continues led by 76 Trombones in the big parade, with a hundred and ten cornets close at hand, also followed by rows and rows, of the finest virtuosos.
Note Added Saturday, 3/8/25, at 12:00 PM EST: The Keystone Speculator's Unemployment Rate Indicator continues forecasting the ongoing Labor Recession as explained above since the unemployment rate is back up to 4.1%, however, trading is all about what have you done for me lately? What about next month? Looking at the Keystone Model for the next US Monthly Jobs Report on 4/4/25, the unemployment rate can drop to 4.0% and the Labor Recession will still be in play, by a hair, but it still will be ongoing. Of course, any rate that comes in at 4.0% and higher on 4/4/25 means bad things for the economy going forward. The Labor Recession will stop and become a recovery if the unemployment rate drops to 3.9% or lower on 4/4/25. Do you think it is likely that the rate will drop to 3.9% when the rate is now at 4.1% and with a little more oomph yesterday it could have easily been 4.2%? And the impact from the DOGE losses are not yet fully realized. If making a reasonable prognostication, the unemployment rate next month will likely be 4.1%-4.3% so guess what? The Godot Recession parade is now on full display for everyone to see marching past the post office, bank and super market and now approaching the Town Square, where a monument to Keystone exists, the Thinker on the toilet. It does not look good from here forward, folks. Time to gird your loins for the recession. The gifted, and mentally-disturbed writer Ernest Hemingway, when asked about going bankrupt, he said, "Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly." He said at first it was gradual and did not feel any different, but then it was sudden and jarring and his life changed forever, kind of like what happens when a recession arrives suddenly, and the unemployment rate explodes higher like a rocket ship over a quick 2 or 3 jobs reports.