Friday, January 8, 2016; Jobless Rate Holds Steady at 5%; Job Growth Surges Despite Downturn In Oil And Gas Industry

Active rigs:

	1/8/2016	01/08/2015	01/08/2014	01/08/2013	01/08/2012
Active Rigs	58	165	193	181	200

RBN Energy: Where U.S. Crude Would Move Next If the Economics Were Right.

December car sales were posted here. Today Ford reports that it sold 1.1 million vehicles in China in 2015, setting a new record.

Jobs: payrolls in US rise more than projected; jobless rate at 5%. BloombergBusiness is reporting:

Payroll growth surged in December, capping the second-best year for American workers since 1999 and further evidence of a resilient job market that prompted the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

The 292,000 gain exceeded the highest forecast in a Bloomberg survey and followed a 252,000 increase in November that was stronger than previously estimated. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for a 200,000 advance.

The jobless rate held at 5 percent, and wage growth rose less than forecast from a year earlier.

Guns: whether accurate or not, it's being reported that the US murder rate is the lowest in history (?) and yet American gun ownership is at record highs. I will let others confirm. The fact that the president has not mentioned the murder rate suggests the reports are probably accurate. 

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Hanging On The Telephone -- Ring, Ring, Blondie -- ABBA