“Merica! Adds 147k Jobs, Wall Street Moons, and Investors Can’t Get Enough…

Apparently, all the hand-wringing about Trump’s “tariff apocalypse” is about as grounded as a Cybertruck on wet grass. The Bureau of Labor Statistics dropped the latest jobs numbers, and… shocker… the U.S. economy added 147,000 jobs in June, absolutely dunking on Wall Street’s 117,500 estimate (and body bagging unemployment down to 4.1%). You’d think the country was falling apart from the way mainstream “experts” talk, but the data keeps shutting them up. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Naturally, investors noticed, every index mooned yesterday on the news. If you’re long equities, thank the American worker (and maybe the guy in the Oval Office who remembers what leverage is). As for the growth, it’s mainly in healthcare and government. Healthcare tacked on 58,600 jobs, because Americans are still getting older and insurance companies need someone to deny your claims. State and local government added 80,000 jobs… yes, that’s mostly a seasonal adjustment mirage, but even with that stripped out, private businesses added 74,000 jobs. Not exactly the “recession spiral” the doomsayers have been praying for since last year. 

(Source: CNN) 

Now for the part the CNBC panel won’t touch: Despite a “trade war,” tariffs, and allegedly “restrictive” monetary policy, the labor market refuses to play dead. Companies aren’t hiring like it’s 2021, but they’re definitely not firing, either (unless you’re Microsoft). Weekly jobless claims dumped down to 233,000, while layoffs are stuck at historic lows. 

Additionally, wages rose a modest 0.2% in June (annualized to 3.7%), so no, you’re not buying a house in the Hamptons, but you’re also not getting kneecapped by inflation like you were a year ago. Oh, and for all the noise about “wage stagnation,” real paychecks are catching up for the first time since everyone forgot how to go to the office.

(Source: Giphy) 

Of course, there’s always a caveat though. The unemployment rate for Black workers ticked up to 6.8%, a stat the left will repeat for the next news cycle, but ignore the fact that overall minority unemployment is still near record lows. Labor force participation slipped a hair, but when you’re at 4.1% unemployment, that’s not a crisis… that’s called “full employment” in the real world. 

And yet, if these numbers came out under a different administration (not getting political here, but it’s definitely valid), the media would be running a 72-hour parade on this shindig. But because it’s not a different administration, every gain is “artificial” or “fragile”. However, the proof is in the pudding and the pudding just keeps showing up every month. Tariffs didn’t kill the job market. American employers are adapting, companies are holding onto workers, and the “Trump recession” narrative is dead… again.

(Source: Giphy) 

In the end, the doomsday crowd keeps missing, and the economy keeps working. Of course, that doesn’t mean to YOLO into every stock chart with a pulse. Warren Buffett's famous line of “buy when others are fearful, and sell when others are greedy” still holds true. But that doesn’t mean writing off reality completely. Meaning, keep your eyes on this story and place your bets accordingly. Until next time, friends… 

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in Microsoft as mentioned in the article.