The Monday Mix: Jan. 3 – 9, 2022

The US economy added just 199,00 jobs in Dec. vs. 422,000 expected, with wages up nearly 5% during past 12 months; in 2021, a record 6.4 million jobs were created, but economy is short nearly 3 million jobs vs. pre-pandemic levels.

In Nov., 4.5 million US workers quit their jobs, a monthly record; quits at restaurants, bars and hotels led, totaling more than 1 million people.

The US trade deficit in goods hit a new record of $99 billion in Nov. (24% above estimates) surpassing Sept. 2021 record of $97 billion, as US consumer spending on imported goods stayed strong through the holidays.

S&P 500 earnings are expected to be up 22% in 4th quarter 2021 (vs. same quarter in 2020), but the number of companies issuing negative guidance on earnings is highest since Q1 2020.

— Global reported COVID-19 cases hit 13.5 million weekly, up 64% from previous week, while the global 7-day-average of COVID deaths dropped 3%.

Disclaimer: Clicking on any of the above links will take you away from the LNW web page and to the source page. While we believe the information in these articles is relevant, we cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness.