Jobs report 11/20: Higher numbers don't mean a better national economy.

On Thursday, we received the delayed employment numbers as a result of the longest government shutdown in history. We saw a much higher number than anticipated as the US gained 118,000 new jobs. Traditionally, this would be a great thing for both the economy and the stock market, but we didn't see that same response. A report like this would normally raise confidence in the employment market and most likely lead to a hold or rise in interest rates from the FED as they

would shift their focus away from the job market and towards inflation. This seems to be an

entirely different situation, as the 118,000 jobs that were created came from only healthcare and hospitality, while in the larger industries, we saw companies like Verizon lay off 30,000 white collar employees, displaying massive deterioration in the US job market. Even with the increase in jobs, we still saw a higher rate of unemployment than in previous months, as we are now looking at a 4.4% unemployment rate, while we previously saw a 4.3%. In combination with US fright over AI and a possible bubble, deteriorating job market, and higher inflation, we are seeing the fear and greed index at its lowest since the introduction of the tariffs in February of last year, creating a possible scary outcome in the near future of the American economy and a possible rate cut next month.