It hasn’t helped the mood of investors (or President Trump) that the Federal Reserve decided to raise its target lending rate four times in 2018. Job openings have hit record highs, and a growing number of workers are quitting, a sign of confidence in the hiring outlook. “2018 was a banner year for the labor market,” said Julia Pollak, a labor economist at the online employment market site ZipRecruiter. And while it’s hard to imagine the jobless rate dipping much lower, there are still Americans who either do not have jobs or are not clocking as many hours as they would like. And on Wednesday, Apple cut its revenue forecast for the first time in 16 years, citing flagging iPhone sales in China.

Source: New York Times January 04, 2019 10:00 UTC