This may have something to do with Clinton’s numbers too
by digby
It’s not all Trump. And it’s just possible it’s not all doom and gloom out there no matter how much the media pimps that narrative. There is surely some painful hangover going on in many areas and in many pockets of the population. But slowly but surely things are getting better and I’d guess that people may finally be starting to feel it a little bit.
The American economy roared ahead last month, as employers added 255,000 jobs, a bigger-than-expected gain that suggests the country’s growth rate may be more robust than thought just two months ago.
The Labor Department report for July had been eagerly anticipated on Wall Street, in Washington and on the campaign trail after conflicting signals in recent months about the economy’s trajectory.
Hiring in May was much weaker than what economists had expected, while a big rebound in June similarly caught the experts off-guard. July’s data suggests an economy that is gaining momentum after a spring slowdown.
“This will be a validator,” said Michael Gapen, chief United States economist at Barclays, in an interview before the release of the data. “Another solid gain in July would suggest that May’s numbers were an aberration.”
The unemployment rate was flat at 4.9 percent. Economists had been expecting a gain of about 180,000 jobs, with a fall in the unemployment rate to 4.8 percent.
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