REALITY INTERVENES – AT 8:56 A.M. ET:  Jobless claims have risen once more.  Add to this the stumbling stock market.  Are we back to the bad old days?  From the Washington Times: 

More people are applying for unemployment insurance, a first sign of weakness in a part of the labor market that has been running red-hot in recent months.

New applications for unemployment benefits rose to 293,000 in the second full week of 2016, the Department of Labor reported Thursday morning, continuing a recent upward trend. That was the highest number for jobless claims since July.

Economists had expected jobless claims to drop from an unrevised 284,000 to 275,000, and halt the recent upward movement, according to economists polled by Bloomberg.

The four-week moving average for jobless claims rose by 6,500 to 285,000. The average was the highest since April.

COMMENT:  We'll need further samplings to get a closer read on things, but if companies start laying off large numbers of employees we could be in for a very bumpy ride in 2016.  That should help the Republicans in the election, if the Republicans remember to help themselves.

January 21,  2016