Krugman on Suicide Watch -

Krugman on Suicide Watch - Well, he might be if we keep getting news like this.(washingtonpost.com):

"Productivity - the amount that an employee produces per hour of work - grew at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the April to June quarter, the best showing since the third quarter of 2002, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That marked an improvement from the 2.1 percent growth rate in productivity posted in the first three months of this year.

Of course, until the Berg Consumer Confidence index rises above a 10, it's all just wind in sails.

(By the way - if you need a good GUI/Web Designer, GUI BA, Usabilty Analyst or any such...)

In a second report from the department, new applications for jobless benefits fell by a seasonally adjusted 3,000 to a six-month low of 390,000 for the work week ending Aug. 2. It marked the third week in a row that claims were below 400,000, a level associated with a weak job market. This suggest the pace of layoffs is stabilizing. Claims hit a high this year of 459,000 during the work week that ended April 19.

Both the productivity and jobless claims figures were better than economists were expecting."

Posted by Mitch at August 7, 2003 11:22 AM