Bounce back jobs is when an event like the Boeing strike and Sever Storms bring employees back to the workforce. It skews the numbers, sometimes more than expected.

November was one of those months. 227,000 jobs created – fairly typical but higher than expectations.

Here’s another interesting Job fact to talk about at the Holiday Parties:

The number of unemployed people rose by 161,000, while the labor force shrank by 193,000. Consequently, the unemployment rate increased from 4.1% to 4.2%.

Here’s another way to look at it: the labor market is facing a headwind due to an aging workforce exiting the job market. This results in a shrinking pool of eligible workers while the number of unemployed people grows—a double whammy.

Well maybe not that interesting for Party chit chat, but it does show how complicated these number are.

The Bond Market had to dig through the weeds today to find the plant. And they did and reacted positively.

Rates continue to improve albeit slightly but in the right direction.