David takes a look at important reports and announcements that we heard last week. U.S. employers added a vigorous 257,000 jobs in January, and wages jumped by the most in six years, evidence that the job market is accelerating closer to full health. Slower global growth is starting to weigh on demand for American-made goods, casting a cloud over the U.S. manufacturing sector. The U.S. oil boom is redrawing America’s trade picture. Petroleum imports accounted for less than 20% of the nation’s trade deficit last year, down from more than 40% only five years earlier, according to figures for 2014.
