What the Jobs Report and Consumer Spending Tell Us About the Economy

This week, we’re turning our attention to the jobs report. The Labor Department is expected to release their monthly jobs report this Friday. The report is arriving at a crucial time as recession concerns still loom for many investors and consumers. According to last month’s consumer confidence index, released by The Conference Board, a business research organization that oversees the monthly confidence survey, around two-thirds of consumers said a recession was “somewhat” or “very likely” in the next 12 months. We're chatting with Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, about why consumers and investors are a bit unnerved right now and what that tells us about the economy and markets. To take the conversation even further, we’re then talking to Heather Boushey, a member of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors. Heather joins us to share how the Biden administration is handling low confidence levels and slowing job gains. Plus, we get a temperature check on the status of Covid-19 vaccine makers, Moderna and Pfizer. Both companies have had significant stock losses since their highs in 2021. How does that affect the overall health of the pharmaceutical and drug sectors and how do drugs that aid weight loss, like Ozempic, factor into all of this? Jared Hopkins, a WSJ reporter covering healthcare and pharmaceuticals, joins us to explain.

Further Reading

Investors See Interest-Rate Cuts Coming Soon, Recession or Not 

For more coverage of the markets and your investments, head to WSJ.com.