#industry-contraction

#industry-contraction

Employers added 178,000 jobs last month, much more than forecasters had expected, reversing big job losses in February and indicating a rebound in the labor market.

"Fresh food and perishables are almost like the canary in the coal mine," when energy prices go up, according to Vidya Mani, an associate professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.

'Walmart Worries' just keep multiplying. It's currently close to the highest level ever recorded which was during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-09.

The Weil European Distress Index shows that financial pressures on European companies had already moved into 'distress territory' before the escalation of tensions involving Iran, leaving firms with far less capacity to absorb another energy-driven shock.

"Jobs may be a bit modest when we look out over the last couple of years, but pay is telling a different story - that there is still a little bit of tightness in this labor market," ADP chief economist Nela Richardson told reporters Wednesday morning.

The S&P 500 closed up approximately 2.4% near 6,496, while the Nasdaq Composite gained roughly 3.3% to around 21,475, indicating a strong market response to geopolitical news.

"Oil prices are higher again this morning, but Treasury yields are lower as the risks to economic growth begin to take precedence over the risks to inflation," Oxford Economics said in a note on Monday.

TD Cowen reduced estimates across the household and personal care space, arguing that companies will be unable to fully mitigate higher oil-related input costs stemming from the Iran war.

The US dollar returned to the upside as geopolitical fears rebounded after US President Trump's address to the nation. The rhetoric fuelled risk aversion and flows toward the dollar while oil prices surged.

Weak performance in several service sectors offset gains in retail and wholesale trade, reinforcing concerns about the pace of economic recovery. Japan relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East, making it particularly sensitive to disruptions in the region.

Although De Noire is based in Europe, she believes that economic upheaval in the United States "triggers huge uncertainty" across the pond because of America's global influence. De Noire first noticed a decline in business right after Donald Trump was elected in November 2024, as Americans and the rest of the world anticipated upheaval. "I didn't even bother working South by Southwest because the first Friday night I attempted to work, I walked into a completely empty club and didn't make any money at all,"

UK manufacturing output fell in the three months to February, although the rate of decline eased compared with January, according to the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) latest Industrial Trends Survey (ITS). Manufacturers expect output to continue falling at a broadly similar pace in the three months to May, highlighting ongoing challenges across the sector. The survey, based on responses from 305 manufacturers, also showed that total and export order books remain historically weak, while expectations for selling price inflation stayed elevated.