Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Nov. 20

02:53 PM EST, 11/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The long-delayed September employment report was mixed, with payrolls growth stronger than expected, the unemployment rate up, and hourly earnings growth slower.

Nonfarm payrolls rose by 119,000 in September after a 4,000 decline in August and a 72,000 gain in July, both revised lower from their previous estimates. Private payrolls rose by 97,000, also above expectations and following an 18,000 gain in August.

Health care jobs rose by 57,100 while leisure and hospitality jobs increase by 47,000 in September.

The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% from 4.3% in September. The labor force rose by 470,000 as labor force participation expanded. Household employment increased by 251,000 while the number of unemployed increased by 219,000.

Average hourly earnings were up 0.2% in September, slower than a 0.4% increase in August, keeping the year-over-year rate at 3.8%.

Home resales rose to a 4.10 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in October from a downwardly revised 4.05 million rate in September.

Sales were up 1.7% from October 2024.

Sales were up in the Midwest and South regions of the country in October but fell in the West region and held steady in the Northeast region. It increased in three of the four regions from a year earlier but decreased in the West region.

"Home sales increased in October even with the government shutdown due to homebuyers taking advantage of lower mortgage rates," said National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

The supply of homes for sale fell to a 1.52 million level from 1.53 million in September but was up 10.9% from a year ago. Sales prices were up 2.1% from October 2025.

The Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing reading rose to minus 1.7 in November from minus 12.8 in October.

The Kansas City Federal Reserve's manufacturing index rose to 8 in November from 6 in October. The ISM's national manufacturing reading will be released on Dec. 1.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 8,000 to 220,000 in employment survey week ended Nov. 15, trimming the four-week moving average by 3,000 to 224,250. Initial claims were at a level of 232,000 in the employment survey week ended Oct. 18.

Insured claims rose by 28,000 to 1.974 million in the week ended Nov. 8, the highest in four years.

Natural gas stocks fell by 14 billion cubic feet to 3.946 trillion cubic feet in the week ended Nov. 14, down 0.6% from a year earlier but 3.8% higher than the seasonal average for the current week over the previous five years.

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