Jobs, jobs, and more jobs. On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department reported Unemployment data (this is released weekly) called “Initial Jobless Claims”. This report tracks how many new people have filed for unemployment benefits in the previous week. It is a good gauge of the U.S. job market. For instance, when less people file for unemployment benefits, more people have jobs, and vice versa. The important detail: Thursday’s weekly number was low, very low. In fact, Initial Jobless Claims were the lowest since 1973.

And, more jobs means stronger consumer spending – an important part of our “Heat Map” keeping its thumb on the pulse.