U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (01/17/14)

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the number of job openings held steady in November from the previous month at around four million, and the 3.3% hires rate and 3.1% separations rate also were unchanged. In November, there were 4.5 million hires and 4.3 million separations.

The quits rate held steady at 1.8% for total nonfarm employment, 2.0% for total private employment, and 0.6% for government employment in November, while the layoffs and discharges rate held steady at 1.1%. During the year-to-year period, there were 53 million hires and 51 million separations, with a net employment gain of 2 million.

Dow Jones Business News (01/17/14) Kathleen Madigan

The preliminary reading of consumer sentiment by Thomson-Reuters and the University of Michigan fell from 82.5 at the end of December to 80.4 in early January. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected a reading of 83.5.

The preliminary current conditions index fell from 98.6 to 95.2 in January, and the expectations index shrank from 72.1 to 70.9. The declines may reflect December’s poor jobs report.

Wall Street Journal (01/20/14) Jon Hilsenrath

The U.S. Federal Reserve may announce a second reduction to its monthly bond purchases following its Jan. 28-29 meeting, despite a weak December jobs report, according to interviews with and public comments by Fed officials. Bond purchases would drop from $75 billion monthly to $65 billion monthly.