September adds 29,000 jobs ABC reports economic strain

Oct 2

Reporting live from the White House, Mary Bruce says September added only 29,000 U.S. jobs, less than half of expectations, and unemployment ticked up to 4.2 percent. She says paychecks are not keeping up with inflation and thirty-year mortgage rates are at 7.5 percent, a large year-on-year increase. She places the release a month before the midterms, with Trump campaigning in deep-red states, awarding himself an A-plus on the economy and insisting it is strong while Americans feel financial pressure. These are ABC's figures and characterization.

The October 2 employment release reports September U.S. job growth of 29,000 and unemployment at 4.2 percent. ABC describes the job gain as less than half of expectations and unemployment as ticking up, with wages failing to keep pace with inflation and thirty-year mortgage rates at 7.5 percent. Bruce contrasts financial pressure on Americans with Trump's positive assessment of the economy during midterm campaigning. The assessment and related figures remain ABC's account. Fox's October 2 bulletin interprets the soft release as easing inflation fears and reports all three major indexes rising; its panel cites about 90,000 expected jobs and discusses possible Federal Reserve action. ABC's less-than-half-expectations characterization and Fox's numerical comparison remain their own accounts; market and electoral implications are attributed assessments.