Business News: Chip shortage to ease in 2022, US jobs pick up
By Jenny McCall
14:31, 4 February 2022
Key Points
- The US job market picked up last month as it added over 460,000 new jobs despite a surge in Covid cases. The news was announced by the US Labour Department today.
- Cruise line operator, Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) announced a loss in profits today and said that Covid would delay a return to profit.
Top business and economic news
According to car maker, General motors, the semiconductor shortage will ease in the second half of 2022. In a letter to shareholders, GM’s CEO Mary Barra said:
“With an improving outlook for semiconductors in the U.S. and China, we expect our 2022 results will remain strong. In fact, we expect our EBIT-adjusted earnings to remain at or near record levels in the range of $13 billion—$15 billion, all while investing more year over year in our growth businesses like Cruise, BrightDrop and our rapidly accelerating portfolio of electric vehicles.”
Markets Today
- Stocks: S&P Futures fell today due to data from the US Labour department showed an increase in job growth.
- Oil: Oil prices were up today, with Brent crude at over $90 a barrel, as investors remained concerned over geopolitical issues.
- Gold: Gold prices were up today due to a weakening with the US dollar.
- Forex: US dollar weakened today as the markets awaited US job growth data.
- Crypto: Bitcoin was up by over 2% and Ethereum was up almost 7% today in afternoon trading.
What to watch next week
- UK - Halifax house price index January
- Germany - industrial production December
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