The Department of Labor released its Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary for November today. The report (which you can read here) shows that the unemployment rate increased in 21 states and the District of Columbia. The unemployment rate decreased in 15 states and remained the same in 14.
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index rose 1.1 percent in November, just missing analysts’ expectations of a 1.2 percent rise. The increase greatly surpassed the .4 percent increase in October, leading some economists to believe that economic recovery is gaining ground. To see the full report and The Conference Board’s discussion of the impact of the numbers, click here.
U.S. markets were mixed on Friday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 7.34 points to 11,491.91 and the Nasdaq rising 5.66 points to 2,642.97 while the S&P 500 rose 1.04 points to 1,243.91.
European markets were down with Germany’s DAX falling .6 percent. Moody’s downgrade of Irish debt—though not unexpected—was likely to blame for the drop. Asian markets were mixed.
Stocks in the news: The Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated (NYSE: GS), Us Airways Group Inc (NYSE: LCC), UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH).
