The labor market has been erratic to start 2026, creating over 100,000 jobs one month and then contracting the next. But Federal Reserve officials aren’t alarmed, with one central banker suggesting zero job growth could still be considered healthy.

The March jobs report marks the first major release of economic data reflecting the period after the start of the Iran war, which has weighed on households and businesses.

U.S. job growth is slowing to a virtual standstill. If this were tolerable to policymakers or acceptable to investors before the Iran war, it shouldn't be now.

The Labor Department released March's jobs report Friday morning, providing a fuller picture of the state of the job market just as the US-Israel war on Iran began to weigh on the global economy.

Weaker growth and higher inflation expected

One of America’s biggest retailers is flashing a big recession indicator. A market indicator known as the Walmart Recession Signal (WRS) has surged to levels last seen during the 2008 Financial Crisis — and it’s raising questions about the strength of the U.S. economy.

When he ran for president again in 2024, Trump made three promises to the American public: First, he said he’d “secure” the southern border. Most Americans now believe he’s gone too far in this. Second,

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Americans are growing more pessimistic about the US economy as the war on Iran continues to roil markets, with sentiment falling across all income groups — including the wealthiest.

TS Lombard sees either a recession, an inflation surge, or an economic re-acceleration coming from the Middle East supply chain damage.