Jobs numbers, OPEC production cuts, market and Fed watching, rooting for or against the Phillies, an anti-Jim Cramer ETF, and more interesting tidbits fill this week’s reading list.

Economics

• Jobs report for September: 263,000 and unemployment ticked down to 3.5%--all measures came in a bit hotter than expected, but labor force participation rates backed off one-tenth of one percent. For a good article with graphics try the NYTimes. For a video with extensive commentary try this one from Yahoo Finance.
• Earlier this week we learned that the number of job openings reported by the government dropped by 1 million in August. There are now 1.7 job openings per unemployed person, down from 2.0 in July. Is this finally a sign that the economy is cooling down a bit? (Quartz)
• This week’s recession prediction article discusses the Philadelphia Phillies and the correlation between their World Series wins and recessions. (Philly Magazine)
• Mortgage applications fell to a 25-year low last week. MarketWatch
• Will housing prices actually start to drop? (Calculated Risk)
• OPEC met this week and decided to cut production by a whopping 2 million barrels a day. (CNBC)
• Goodwill is going online with their inventory—good news for thrift store shoppers! (AP News)

Investing

• The stock market saw two up days this week before halting. (CNBC) Does this mean we have hit bottom? (Irrelevant Investor)
• With the bear market in stocks, bonds are now attractive again. (Ritholtz Big Picture) (FYI-TINA stands for “there is no alternative.”)
• Did you know that there are/will be ETFs that invest exactly opposite of industry pundits? The next one in the works is an anti-Jim Cramer fund. (Financial Times)

Budgeting

• What a difference a year makes for Christmas shopping. Inventories are up, (Reuters) shipping demand and prices have dropped dramatically since last year (CNBC), and Humble Dollar explains why it might make sense to wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping if you are hoping to find bargains.

Student Loans

• Forbes’ Adam Minsky tries to clear up confusion over who is eligible for student loan forgiveness under Biden’s new plan.

Behavioral Economics

• Is it better or worse to have more choices? Can we have too many? (Behavioral Scientist)

Careers

• Remote work has been a boon for disabled workers. (Bloomberg)

Retirement

• When Will The Social Security COLA Increase For 2023 Be Announced? (Forbes)

About the Author

Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.

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