Wages

The line "been down so long it looks like up to me" is often associated with the world of traditional blues music.  Themes of hardship, suffering, and resilience are common, and the line offers a potential glimmer of hope.  Despite some effort, Atlas was unable to find an exact origin of this phrase.  The term did, however, become more widely known through Richard Fari&

Since Atlas started back in 2009, we’ve held 10 Pie Parties each year (we go dark in November and December).  They are simple events designed to be an open dialogue with the attendees.  As the name suggest, guests are served pie and beverages as we discuss the topics du jour.  Covid-19 shut these down last year, but we started them back up at the end of March in a

Atlas' Monday note covered the most recent employment report.  If you did not have a chance to see it or want to reference it, click here.  One of the more positive developments to come out of the report was an increase in average hourly earnings.  This is an important statistic because it sug

Headline figures were mixed on Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their employment report.  According to the establishment survey, our economy lost 33,000 jobs to end the third quarter of 2017.  However, the household survey estimates the unemployment rate declined to the lowest level since January 2001, 4.2 percent from 4.3 percent in August.   The BL

Just before Labor Day Weekend started, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released their latest figures for America's employment situation. Our economy added 156,000 net new jobs in the period, but the prior two months were downwardly revised by a combined 41,000. Despite the increased number of filled positions, the unemployment rate climbed one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.4 percent.

Proprietors of small companies are feeling better about the future for the first time in five months according to the National Federation of Independent Business.