Separating Hyperplanes

195,000 jobs created in June

Matthew Martin 7/05/2013 11:20:00 AM

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases it's first estimate of monthly jobs growth on the first friday of every month. Thus, without further ado:

"Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 195,000 in June, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.6 percent..."

195,000 is a very mediocre figure. It's slightly more than enough to keep up with population growth, but not enough to really reduce the unemployment rate, as you can see. With unemployment above target, inflation below target, and interest rates at the zero lower bound, this is more than enough reason for Congress to talk about increasing fiscal stimulus, and for the Fed to talk about increasing bond purchases.