Article source: ConstructConnect

Table 1 sets out the best U.S. city labor markets according to two measurements, unemployment rates (with smallest being most desirable) and year-over-year jobs change (with fastest at the top).

At this present time, ‘fastest’ year-over-year jobs change means slowest decline. There isn’t a single city where there has been an increase in employment from year-previously levels.

Four cities, however, stand out (and are shaded green) for being among the Top 10 according to both criteria ‒ Salt Lake City, Indianapolis, Austin and Atlanta.

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Article source: ConstructConnect

The U.S. economy may have been battered by the full-on return of the coronavirus contagion in 2020’s fourth quarter, but the nation’s principal stock markets were unfazed. The DJI, S&P 500, and NASDAQ all set new highs in December.

Compared with their low points in late March of last year, NASDAQ ended 2020 up by nearly double (+94.4%), the DJI and S&P 500 were ahead by between two-thirds and three-quarters (+68.0% and +71.4% respectively) and the TSX climbed by slightly more than half (+56%).

The Russell 2000 index, comprised of small cap companies, also performed well, +18.4% year over year and an outstanding +8.5% in December alone.

The improvements in the indices continued to be fueled by high-tech companies, which are now said to make up 40% of the S&P 500’s total market valuation.

Among the FAAMG group of companies, Apple was the leader at +83.8% year over year (i.e., Dec 31 2020 vs Dec 31 2019). Next in line were Amazon, +76.3%; Microsoft, +42.5%; Facebook, +33.1%; and Alphabet, +30.9%. Concerning that last figure of +30.9%, the ‘least’ of the FAAMG companies still managed an equity appreciation of nearly one-third.

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