Table of Contents February, Jumped to 5.5 Percent in March, Then 14.3 Damage Control
A publication of the Greater Houston Partnership December 2020 A publication of the Greater Houston Partnership • Houston’s unemploymentVolume 26 Number rate, 12 at– December3.9 percent 2017 in Table of Contents February, jumped to 5.5 percent in March, then 14.3 Damage Control ................................................................1 percent in April. That was the highest on record. A Bipolar Year ....................................................................2 • Initial claims for unemployment benefits, barely above Drill, Build, Assemble ........................................................2 4,000 the first week of March, surged to 76,000 the first week of April. Stock It, Sell It, Ship It ........................................................6 A White-Collar World ........................................................8 • The Houston Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a short- term leading indicator for regional economic activity, Grace Under Pressure .....................................................10 sank to 34.6, the lowest level on record. Out On the Town .............................................................11 • West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. benchmark for Texas, Harris, Houston ....................................................13 light, sweet crude, averaged $16.55 in April. It opened The Numbers ...................................................................13 the year at $61.17. • The energy industry pulled 500 rigs from the field during The Numbers ......................................................................
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