This week Ryan and Brian discuss how July's non-farm payrolls grew by 187,000, slightly below consensus, with a slight increase from June's revised figure of 185,000. Unemployment rate decreased to 3.5% from the previous 3.6%, while labor force participation remained at 62.6% for the fifth consecutive month.
They also covered how Fitch downgraded U.S. government debt from AAA to AA+ due to expected fiscal deterioration, high debt burden, and governance erosion. Yet, the rating downgrade is unlikely to impact U.S. debt or markets; U.S. remains a safe haven during market stress.
Job Growth Chart 1
Job Growth Chart 2
Market Reaction to 2011 Credit Downgrade
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