7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi

Dismal hiring shows economy stuck in low gear

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By Jason LangeWASHINGTON | Fri Jul 6, 2012 9:19pm EDT(Reuters) - U.S. employers hired at a dismal pace in June, raising pressure on the Federal Reserve to do more to boost the economy and dealing another setback to President Barack Obama's reelection bid.The Labor Department said on Friday that non-farm payrolls grew by just 80,000 jobs in June, the third straight month below 100,000.Job creation was too weak to bring down the country's 8.2 percent jobless rate and the report fueled concerns that Europe's debt crisis was shifting the U.S. economy into low gear."We're just crawling forward here," said Nigel Gault, an economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts.While Obama holds a narrow lead in most national polls, many voters are critical of his handling of the economy. Speaking at a campaign rally in Ohio, Obama said the pace of job creation needs to pick up."It's still tough out there," he said.Mitt Romney, Obama's Republican challenger, assailed the president for not doing enough to get people back to work."This kick in the gut has got to end," Romney told reporters in New Hampshire.U.S. stocks closed about 1 percent lower, while yields on U.S. government debt fell on bets the Fed would launch a new round of bond purchases to lower borrowing costs and spur hiring. The dollar fell against the yen, but rose against the euro as investors sought a safe haven.HIRING STRIKELast month, the Fed extended a program aimed at keeping long-term interest rates down and said it was prepared to do more to spur the economic recovery if needed.The somber jobs report could move the central bank closer to a third round of so-called quantitative easing, or QE3.Reuters polled 16 primary dealers - the large financial institutions that do business with the Fed - and found 12 expect QE3 by year-end, with eight expecting it either at the Fed's next meeting, which wraps up on August 1, or its subsequent gathering in September."You could see something as early as next month," said Brian Levitt, an economist at OppenheimerFunds in New York.Economists estimate roughly 125,000 jobs are needed each month just to hold the jobless rate steady. During the second quarter, job creation averaged 75,000 per month, down from an average of 226,000 in the first quarter.Part of the slowdown could be because mild weather led companies to boost hiring during the winter at spring's expense.But weakness in everything from factory activity to retail sales suggests something more fundamental is at play and the jobs data buttressed that view.In June, factories added 11,000 workers and construction employment edged up 2,000, the first gain since January and further evidence the long-depressed housing market is steadying.However, hiring slowed sharply in the services industry, with retailers cutting 5,400 workers. Overall, private-sector hiring was the weakest since August.UNCERTAINTY AND INSTABILITYhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/07/us-usa-economy-idUSBRE86504K20120707

Congress Keeps Free Mail While Pushing U.S. Postal Cuts

Lawmakers intent on dictating how the U.S. Postal Service cuts billions from its spending are among those helping themselves to a favorite congressional perk: free mail.U.S. House members sent more than $45 million worth of such mail in 2010 and 2011 even while switching much of their communication to e-mail in recent years. Three of the 10 largest users last year were Republican members of the Tea Party caucus, which advocates for lessgovernment spending, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from House reports.The Postal Service, which has more employees than any U.S.- based publicly traded company other than Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), lost $3.2 billion in the quarter ended March 31 and has said it expects to temporarily run out of cash in October. It has asked Congress to let it make changes, including slowing required payments for future retirees’ health benefits.“There’s a certain amount of hypocrisy, but then again, when you’re the head of the plantation, you can pretty much do what you want,” said Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce, whose members include Williams- Sonoma Inc. (WSM) and Publishers Clearing House LLC. “Obviously they should be leading by example. Instead, they do quite the opposite.”

Top Frankers

The privilege known as franking, dating to the Continental Congress in 1775, allows lawmakers to send mail to constituents at no cost using their signatures. Franking doesn’t deprive the Postal Service, which reported $65.7 billion in revenue in its 2011 fiscal year, of income. It does cost U.S. taxpayers who reimburse the Postal Service at rates similar to those paid by other bulk mailers.Of the top 50 frankers by spending, 38 -- or 76 percent -- are Republicans, who are 56 percent of House members. Franking typically is used more in election years; for example, House members spent $34.1 million in 2010 and $11.3 million in 2011, according to a Congressional Research Service report.The top franker, Representative Joe Heck, is a first-term Nevada Republican elected with the support of Tea Party voters. Heck sent mass mailings worth $430,680 from the beginning of 2011 through March 31, 14.2 percent more than the next largest franker, according to House records. He sent letters about Medicare, the national debt and balancing the budget.Heck, through spokesman Greg Lemon, declined multiple requests to comment.

Campaign Materials

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-05/congress-keeps-free-mail-while-pushing-u-s-postal-cuts.html

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