Here’s what NerdWallet’s senior economist Elizabeth Renter will be watching for in economic news and data during the week of Jan. 6:
Many of us view the new year as an opportunity for a fresh start, and we use this renewed vigor to focus on a diet, a household budget or new habit we hope to develop. But we all know there are risks to achieving success on these goals, no matter how well we lay the groundwork. The 2025 economic predictions populating news aggregators are similar — there are baseline assumptions that shape those outlooks, and any number of events could change them dramatically.
Consumers looking for solid predictions about the 2025 economy should be wary of anything sounding too definitive. And if they’re hoping to make financial decisions based on what may or may not happen in the coming year, they’ll be better off focusing on the things within their individual control. For example, building a robust emergency fund and maintaining solid credit are two action items that can stand to protect household finances no matter what the broader economy is doing.
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Tues., Jan. 7: JOLTS, BLS – This release will feature data from November, and is expected to feature steady-but-cooler hires and quits, with no significant uptick in layoffs. This has been the story for the past several months, as employer demand for labor has cooled relative to 2022 levels.
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Fri., Jan. 10: Employment Situation (“jobs report”), BLS – The labor market is on solid footing, and this…
