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The 12 Best Metaverse Crypto Tokens To Buy Now to 10x Your Money in 2023

With Bloomberg predicting that the metaverse is set to be an $800 billion market by 2024, now is an ideal time to start looking for the best metaverse…

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With Bloomberg predicting that the metaverse is set to be an $800 billion market by 2024, now is an ideal time to start looking for the best metaverse cryptos to buy. But with new metaverse tokens constantly emerging, how do you find the ones worth investing in?

This article is a solid place to start. Today, you’ll discover 12 of the best metaverse crypto tokens that could offer substantial returns in 2023. From community ecosystems to projects providing key metaverse infrastructure, you’re sure to find your next metaverse investment here.

The list is as follows:

  1. Metacade (MCADE)
  2. AltSignals (ASI)
  3. The Sandbox (SAND)
  4. Ethereum (ETH)
  5. Apecoin (APE)
  6. Star Atlas (ATLAS)
  7. Axie Infinity (AXS)
  8. Gala Games (GALA)
  9. Enjin Coin (ENJ)
  10. Decentraland (MANA)
  11. Render Token (RNDR)
  12. Highstreet (HIGH)

1. Metacade (MCADE) – The Central Metaverse Platform and Web3 Community Hub

What is Metacade (MCADE)?

Metacade is a new project positioning itself as the premier hub for play-to-earn and metaverse gaming, aiming to become the ultimate one-stop solution for both of these rapidly-expanding sectors. It’ll feature everything users could want from a community hub: real-time interaction with like-minded metaverse enthusiasts, leaderboards to discover the games worth playing, and sub-communities for discussing the latest tips and tricks.

But Metacade is going the extra mile and using blockchain technology to create something magical. For instance, it rewards players with its native token, MCADE, for contributing valuable content, sharing reviews, and offering leading insights into the latest metaverse games. 

It’s even introducing a decentralized funding scheme to kickstart the next wave of play-to-earn (P2E) and metaverse titles. This scheme is known as Metagrants, and investors eagerly await the first Metagrant competition later this year. Metagrants offer developers building the very best titles financing to get their vision off the ground. 

To win, developers just need to earn the most votes from MCADE holders, fending off the competition and winning the hearts and minds of Metacade users. The winner is allocated funding from the Metacade treasury, with the opportunity to host their finished title in Metacade’s virtual arcade for anyone to play. 

It also has plans for a job and gig board in 2024. Here, community members can participate in casual testing gigs, utilizing Metacade’s native testing environment to offer feedback on the latest play-to-earn and metaverse games in return for some extra beer money. Leading firms in the Web3 and gaming industries will also post job listings on the platform, allowing Metacade users to get their foot in the door with their favorite companies.

Finally, Metacade plans to transform into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and hand over the reins to the community, allowing MCADE holders to vote on key decisions, partnerships, and platform features. These aspects have led to a flood of investors calling Metacade the best metaverse crypto coin they’ve seen in a long while, pushing investment in the platform’s presale to $14.1m, now in its final stage before listing on exchanges. 

Why Invest in Metacade (MCADE)?

Metacade is designed to be the central hub for both play-to-earn and the metaverse – two industries expected to accelerate rapidly in the coming years. Instead of betting that a single play-to-earn game or metaverse will outperform, investing in Metacade is like investing in the sector as a whole. As more players join these two spaces and start to play games, the number of Metacade users will likely increase proportionally, causing significant demand for the MCADE token.

Moreover, Metacade stands to benefit massively from the network effect – the same effect that caused gaming platforms like Twitch and Discord to blow up seemingly overnight. With its focus on building a strong, engaged community, coupled with several unique features that offer immense value to users, Metacade seems destined to expand rapidly alongside the play-to-earn and metaverse sectors.

>>> You can participate in the Metacade final stage presale here <<<

2. AltSignals (ASI) – Helping Investors Discover the Hottest Metaverse Opportunities

What is AltSignals (ASI)?

AltSignals is a unique project in the context of this list. AltSignals is a well-respected signals provider for the crypto, Forex, and stock markets, created in 2017. It uses a combination of a proprietary algorithm known as AltAlgo™ and a team of professional traders to generate highly accurate trading calls. Since its inception, AltSignals has issued over 1,500 signals to over 50,000 free subscribers and 1,400 VIP members, achieving an average 64% win rate.

AltAlgo™ incorporates over 34 different indicators and strategies to produce exceptional signals, allowing the team to focus on making world-class fundamental analysis that supports the algorithm’s calls. This has led to some extraordinary results; its Binance Futures signals, for example, boasted a 90% win rate in February, returning an eye-watering 2,163%.

AltSignals’ credibility is backed up by its outstanding Trustpilot reviews. It holds a 4.9/5 rating across nearly 500 positive reviews. Now, it’s advancing its services with the ASI token. ASI is designed to support the next phase of AltSignals’ growth: the ActualizeAI algorithm. This advanced algorithm will enhance the existing AltAlgo™ indicator and introduce a powerful AI stack to maximize market profits.

So why is AltSignals mentioned in this list of metaverse cryptos? Because this new algorithm has the potential to identify some of the best metaverse coins to trade at any given moment. One key aspect of Actualize AI will be sentiment analysis, which will scan social media to find metaverse crypto coins about to pop. 

Moreover, holding the ASI token will allow investors to find out about exclusive presale events for some of the best metaverse crypto coins. This could enable ASI holders to secure an early place in some of the best metaverse crypto projects before the public hears about them. 

The benefits of owning ASI don’t stop there, however. Being an ASI investor also grants exclusive access to the AI Members Club, where users can earn extra ASI for offering feedback on new updates, participating in backtesting, and suggesting new ideas. This extra ASI can be used to advance the user’s membership level, allowing them access to more advanced features of the platform’s AI ecosystem. 

Why Invest in AltSignals (ASI)?

Following the implementation of the ActualizeAI algorithm, AltSignals is expected to rise to significant acclaim in the world of trading. Through cutting-edge insights using the most advanced AI technology, crypto investors holding ASI tokens not only have a chance to boost their metaverse crypto profits but also be a part of the gains ASI itself will see once word gets out. 

Furthermore, the AI Members Club will allow AltSignals to continue developing its already strong community. Like Metacade, the platform could benefit significantly from the network effect as users learn that they can both receive market-leading trading signals while securing income through product testing and offering feedback. This could also lead to its AI technology becoming even more advanced, providing more opportunities for users to profit.

Lastly, AltSignals’ proven track record gives it a strong possibility of succeeding in its mission. Its team already has the capability to produce exceptional trading signals, and its mission to integrate AI seems like a natural step for the platform to take. It seems investors agree, too; despite being 1 day into its presale, AltSignals has raised over $112k, with much more investment expected in the near future. 


>>> You can participate in the AltSignals presale here <<<

3. The Sandbox (SAND) – A Leading Metaverse Project With Major Partnerships

What is The Sandbox (SAND)?

The Sandbox is a metaverse crypto project built on the Ethereum blockchain that enables users to create, share, and monetize their gaming experiences within a virtual world. It provides players with powerful tools like VoxEdit and Game Maker, allowing them to create avatars, unique objects, virtual games, and immersive experiences.

At the heart of The Sandbox is LAND, the non-fungible token (NFT) that powers this metaverse game. LAND represents a piece of virtual real estate that allows users to build whatever they like. Users can charge others a small fee in SAND tokens for engaging with their experiences, purchase virtual LAND and rent it out, or even earn SAND by creating and selling virtual assets, represented as ASSET NFTs, on The Sandbox’s marketplace.

Why Invest in The Sandbox (SAND)?

The Sandbox provides a level of creative freedom unmatched by other metaverse projects. Its user-friendly tools empower creators to design intricate experiences and monetize their creations, attracting more users and boosting the platform’s overall value. 

The popular metaverse crypto also boasts an impressive list of partnerships with major brands and franchises, such as Gucci, The Walking Dead, and Atari. These partnerships not only speak to The Sandbox’s credibility but create visibility that drives players to the project. 

4. Ethereum (ETH) – Providing the Critical Infrastructure for Many Metaverse Games

What is Ethereum (ETH)?

Ethereum is a market-leading blockchain network favored for its advanced smart contracts. It’s found significant popularity in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and NFT spaces, but its use in the metaverse has picked up significantly over the past year. In fact, you’ll find that the majority of tokens on this list are built using Ethereum’s blockchain technology!

While users have complained about slow transaction speeds and high gas fees in the past, Ethereum looks set to continue its dominance in the metaverse token space thanks to its recent and upcoming upgrades. Later this year, it’ll implement sharding, which is expected to take Ethereum’s speeds to over 100,000 transactions per second (TPS). 

Why Invest in Ethereum (ETH)?

Ethereum will likely attract even more metaverse game developers following this upgrade. Considering the transactions made in Ethereum-based metaverse games often require ETH for gas fees, more metaverse projects being developed on the network will result in increased demand and could be a strong driver for Ethereum’s price growth.

Moreover, Ethereum’s use isn’t just limited to metaverse crypto projects. It also powers thousands of decentralized applications (dApps) that rely on Ethereum’s infrastructure to function. By investing in Ethereum, you’re not only supporting a vast ecosystem of innovative projects but also capitalizing on the metaverse’s increasing popularity and adoption, making ETH one of the best metaverse cryptos to buy.

5. Apecoin (APE) – One of the Most Ambitious Metaverse Projects Yet  

What is Apecoin (APE)?

ApeCoin is the native token of the Ape Ecosystem, launched by Yuga Labs, the creators of the wildly successful Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT project. APE serves as the primary utility token within the ecosystem, which encompasses a range of projects, including games, events, services, and the highly anticipated metaverse game, Otherside. 

APE token holders are waiting with bated breath for the upcoming release of Otherside after seeing glimpses of the metaverse project during its “First Trip” demo. This demo allowed APE token holders to join forces and take on a boss, Koda, one of the alien species that inhabit Otherside. Its virtual property, Otherdeed NFTs, was met with sky-high demand on launch, generating over half a billion dollars within the first 24 hours.

Why Invest in Apecoin (APE)?

While there are other valuable features of the Ape ecosystem, like the Ape DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that offers APE token holders voting rights, Otherside is what many consider to be the main catalyst for APE’s growth. The metaverse project is being built in collaboration with renowned companies Animoca Brands and Improbable, which further increases its chances of success. 

As the de-facto in-game currency of Otherside, APE is expected to see increased demand and appreciation once the metaverse platform goes live. Given Yuga Labs’ track record with the BAYC and the strong partnerships backing Otherside, many investors consider APE to be one of the best metaverse crypto coins currently on the market. 

6. Star Atlas (POLIS) – A Visually Stunning AAA Metaverse Crypto Project

What is Star Atlas (POLIS)?

Star Atlas is a groundbreaking metaverse project that combines an immersive, visually stunning space exploration experience with a grand strategy game. Built on the lightning-fast Solana blockchain, Star Atlas aims to deliver console-quality gaming to the crypto space while leveraging NFTs for in-game assets. 

Star Atlas has players teaming up to explore the vast expanses of the universe in their own spaceships, forming factions and taking on rival groups along the way. The platform’s native token, ATLAS, can be used to upgrade in-game assets, like ships and structures, while mined resources can be traded for ATLAS and cashed out for fiat currency. POLIS, Star Atlas’ governance token, allows players to vote in regional DAOs and influence the game’s direction. 

Why Invest in Star Atlas (POLIS)?

Investing in Star Atlas positions investors at the forefront of an ambitious project with the potential to redefine the metaverse. With its advanced graphics, powered by Unreal Engine 5, and gameplay similar to popular MMORPGs like EVE Online, Star Atlas is positioning itself to attract a massive player base and create a thriving universe. There’s even the opportunity for players to explore the universe in virtual reality (VR), further enhancing its gameplay. 

Star Atlas has already attracted over 100,000 players, with 13,000+ and almost 7,000 players logging in weekly and daily, respectively (Star Stat). While these numbers dwarf in comparison to more popular metaverse platforms outside of the crypto space, like Fortnite or Roblox, they’ll likely grow substantially as more players join the metaverse crypto world. This will likely push up demand for POLIS and potentially provide substantial returns for today’s investors. 

7. Axie Infinity (AXS) – A Highly Regarded Metaverse Game Leading NFT Sales

What is Axie Infinity (AXS)?

Axie Infinity is one of the best-recognized metaverse and play-to-earn games. Drawing inspiration from games like Pokémon, Players build a team of adorable creatures called Axies, which are represented as NFTs on the blockchain, and engage in battles against other players to earn Smooth Love Potion (SLP), which can then be sold for cash using SLP fiat trading pairs. Players can also gain SLP by participating in quests, taking on AI enemies, and farming land.

SLP isn’t the only token in the Axie Infinity ecosystem, however. There’s also Axie Infinity Shards (AXS), the metaverse game’s native governance token. To demonstrate Axie Infinity’s immense popularity, one just needs to look at the numbers: according to Crypto Slam, over $4.2 billion in sales has been reached in Axie Infinity with 1.8 million buyers – more than any other NFT collection. 

Why Invest in Axie Infinity (AXS)?

Investing in Axie Infinity provides a unique opportunity to capitalize on the thriving play-to-earn gaming market. Axie Infinity is considered one of the top metaverse projects by gamers across the globe, well-known for its ability to replace traditional income sources for players in Indonesia and the Philippines during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

With play-to-earn and metaverse coins back on the menu this year, it’s likely that the project’s native token, AXS, will be one of the first to rise. As Axie Infinity continues to innovate and expand its offerings, expect more investors to consider AXS one of the top metaverse tokens to buy in 2023.

8. Gala Games (GALA) – An Ecosystem of Metaverse and Play-To-Earn Games

What is Gala Games (GALA)?

Gala Games is an innovative gaming ecosystem that empowers players with unprecedented control over their gaming experience. Through its platform, players can own, trade, and gift NFTs, which serve various functions in its metaverse games. The GALA token, the ecosystem’s digital currency, is used as the medium of exchange when trading in-game assets and enables players to earn rewards by playing games, ranking in tournaments, and participating in other activities. 

Gala Games already offers some fantastic games, like Town Star, a farming and ranching simulator, and Spider Tanks, a PvP skill game where players can compete in battle arenas to earn the GALA metaverse coin. Each game in the ecosystem is free to play and allows players to truly own their in-game assets. Ownership of Gala Games is also completely decentralized, with GALA acting as a governance token that enables users to vote on community proposals. 

Why Invest in Gala Games (GALA)?

Gala Games has already partnered with prominent gaming companies like Epic Games to launch new and exciting titles and forged a relationship with actors Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. Both partnerships are with world-famous companies and celebrities, allowing Gala Games to potentially reach millions of prospective players. 

Moreover, the metaverse platform is still in its infancy, but it has a clear vision and roadmap, with an incredible 12 play-to-earn games in the pipeline. This continued expansion will likely drive demand for the GALA token, making it an attractive investment for those looking to get in early on the growth of blockchain gaming and metaverse crypto coins. 

9. Enjin Coin (ENJ) – Making Metaverse Development Simple

What is Enjin Coin (ENJ)?

Enjin is a blockchain-based platform that caters to game developers by providing them with user-friendly tools and software development kits (SDKs) to integrate blockchain technology into their metaverse projects seamlessly. Through the Enjin platform, developers can mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs) corresponding to their in-game items, assigning them value using the native ENJ token. This process vastly simplifies the creation and management of in-game assets. 

It also allows for much easier trading and ownership of digital assets among metaverse players. The Enjin Wallet, for example, serves as a hub for users to view, manage, and trade their NFTs. Instead of being a metaverse itself, Enjin makes creating digital worlds infinitely easier. Instead of creating a custom-built solution, developers can simply use Enjin’s plug-and-play tools to enhance their virtual worlds. 

Why Invest in Enjin Coin (ENJ)?

As metaverse and play-to-earn games continue to grow, developers will likely turn to solutions like Enjin to make incorporating digital asset ownership into their projects much easier. This demand for Enjin’s services could drive the value of the ENJ token higher in the coming years.

Investing in Enjin is similar to investing in Metacade and Ethereum; it’s a bet the sector will grow as a whole rather than banking on a metaverse’s native tokens to outperform. With many predictions that Enjin will continue to provide the key infrastructure for blockchain gaming well into the future, it’s considered one of the best metaverse crypto projects to buy right now. 

10. Decentraland (MANA) – One of the Most Valuable Metaverse Crypto Coins

What is Decentraland (MANA)?

Decentraland is a metaverse platform that enables users to create, explore, and interact in a decentralized virtual world through smartphones, PCs, and virtual reality headsets. Like The Sandbox, Decentraland allows players to buy and develop virtual land, also represented as LAND NFTs, and build a variety of immersive experiences, from games and art galleries to nightclubs and entertainment venues.

The platform’s native token, MANA, serves as a medium of exchange, whether users are upgrading their avatars or participating in virtual land sales. It’s also a governance token, which allows users to vote on and change various aspects of Decentraland, like naming conventions and community-run servers. Notably, the Decentraland DAO is overseen by its Security Advisory Board, which is responsible for managing the DAO’s multi-sig wallet and the platform’s smart contracts. 

Why Invest in Decentraland (MANA)?

Compared to other metaverse tokens, Decentraland stands out as one of the most highly respected platforms. It’s already hosted various events, including conferences, art galleries, and educational initiatives, allowing creators to monetize their work with the MANA token in the process. Its versatility could lead to increased adoption by individuals and businesses alike, ultimately driving the price of MANA higher. 

With some calling Decentraland crypto’s answer to Meta’s Horizon Worlds, it’s easy to see why MANA could surge as the metaverse evolves. Despite some criticism surrounding user counts and isolation within the digital world, MANA still stands out as one of the top metaverse coins. Its high market cap, only beaten by The Sandbox, speaks to the project’s popularity. 

11. Render Token (RNDR) – An Effective Way to Render Graphics In the Metaverse

What is Render Token (RNDR)?

Render is an innovative crypto project that offers decentralized GPU-based rendering solutions for the metaverse and beyond, transforming the digital creation process for 2D and 3D models, images, and scenes. The primary goal of Render is to decentralize the rendering process, allowing those with unused GPU capacity to rent out their power to those looking to render high-quality graphics in real-time.

As virtual reality and metaverse game adoption pick up, the need for fast, agile rendering solutions will increase dramatically. Render is a promising solution; it rewards those with idle GPUs with RNDR tokens for taking on some of the workload while offering a cheap, scalable, and secure alternative to those who need it the most.

Why Invest in Render Tokens (RNDR)?

Render has partnered with OTOY to bring maximum value to its network. OTOY is a specialized graphics and rendering company with over 20 years of experience, giving Render a solid foundation to work from. Its decentralized network of thousands of GPUs makes it incredibly scalable, able to meet the demands of a world where metaverse games and technology is used by millions of people.

Undoubtedly, Render will benefit from increased metaverse adoption. Considering how costly it typically is to render high-quality graphics in real-time, it wouldn’t be surprising if Render’s technology is picked up by enterprises across the globe looking for a cost-effective solution over the next few years. As such, it’s easy to see why many investors consider Render Token one of the best metaverse crypto projects for 2023. 

12. Highstreet (HIGH) – Bridging the Gap Between Commerce and the Metaverse

What is Highstreet (HIGH)?

Highstreet is an interesting metaverse project that combines digital commerce, gaming, NFTs, and social interactions into a unified experience. The platform enables brands to create digital storefronts where users can browse and purchase items using HIGH tokens. Each item has its own NFT, which can be worn in the Highstreet metaverse or redeemed for the real-world product through integration with Shopify. 

Highstreet also allows players to explore unique environments, complete quests, and purchase customizable Highstreet Homes. HIGH tokens serve as the metaverse’s in-game currency, enabling users to progress in the game by purchasing virtual real estate and special items for their avatars.

Why Invest in Highstreet (HIGH)?

Highstreet’s solution presents a compelling value proposition for both users and brands. Virtual shopping is commonly touted as one of the primary use cases of the metaverse, and Highstreet seems poised to redefine the digital retail experience. You no longer need to visit a store to shop; log on to Highstreet and browse its many storefronts, then purchase your item and redeem its NFT to have it shipped to you in real life!

Highstreet has also partnered with major companies, like Binance, Ava Labs, and Animoca Brands, demonstrating the value behind the metaverse project’s vision. Moreover, exploring its open landscape and engaging in quests, battles, and social interactions adds an extra layer of entertainment and immersion for users. Overall, Highstreet is one of the most innovative metaverse crypto projects and certainly one to consider picking up. 

What Is the Best Metaverse Crypto To Buy Right Now?

With the metaverse predicted to pick up significant steam in 2023, it’s tricky to say which one out of this list is the best metaverse crypto. Ethereum, for example, has plenty of versatility outside of the metaverse; Star Atlas has set the standard for AAA-style metaverse crypto projects, while Render could be a solution for both metaverse games and cloud gaming as a whole. But, when evaluating the whole picture, Metacade and AltSignals seem like winners.

As discussed, Metacade could easily ascend the ranks to become crypto’s leading metaverse platform, thanks to its outstanding value proposition. Metagrants could also send Metacade to mainstream fame (and MCADE to the moon) if it produces a successful play-to-earn or metaverse game. Its epic presale performance shows just how much faith investors have in the project. 

Similarly, AltSignals has strong potential to change the trading game for good. Its existing services have been a hit with subscribers, as testified on its Trustpilot page, and the AI stack outlined in its whitepaper is nothing but extraordinary. While AltSignals might not be a traditional metaverse project based in a virtual world, it could easily help investors identify the next golden opportunity, both in their everyday trading and with under-the-radar presale gems it discovers. 

Overall, it’s likely that each of the tokens will perform excellently as metaverse adoption continues to trend upward. But if you’re looking to maximize your investment opportunity, then take a look at Metacade and AltSignals before anything else. 

Related Crypto FAQs

How does the metaverse relate to cryptocurrency investing?

While there are many non-crypto-based metaverse projects, crypto provides a great way to enhance in-game asset ownership in the metaverse. As a result, many opportunities to invest in the metaverse through crypto have cropped up in recent years. 

Can investing in metaverse cryptocurrencies be a good long-term investment?

Investing in metaverse cryptocurrencies can offer significant returns, as the metaverse is an emerging sector with plenty of growth potential. However, it is also a more speculative investment due to its relative newness. 

What are the risks associated with investing in metaverse cryptocurrencies?

Metaverse cryptocurrencies can be especially volatile. Each project faces increasing competition from other metaverse coins, which makes it harder to stand out in a crowded and reach a critical adoption level. 

What is the best metaverse cryptocurrency?

The answer to this question is highly subjective, although the projects on this list are all solid choices. This is especially true of Metacade and AltSignals, given their investment potential and presale performance. 

Where can I buy metaverse coins?

You can buy metaverse crypto projects on both centralized and decentralized exchanges, as well as through crypto presales. 

What are the most popular metaverse cryptos?

In terms of market cap, the most popular metaverse cryptos are The Sandbox, Decentraland, and Axie Infinity, although this will likely change in years to come. 

Does Meta have a cryptocurrency?

Meta, formerly Facebook, is a tech company that’s made a big bet on the metaverse. However, it doesn’t have a native token or cryptocurrency. It attempted to introduce the Libra cryptocurrency a few years ago but was thwarted by regulators. 

You can participate in the AltSignals presale here.

You can participate in the Metacade final stage presale here.

The post The 12 Best Metaverse Crypto Tokens To Buy Now to 10x Your Money in 2023 appeared first on Invezz.

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February Employment Situation

By Paul Gomme and Peter Rupert The establishment data from the BLS showed a 275,000 increase in payroll employment for February, outpacing the 230,000…

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By Paul Gomme and Peter Rupert

The establishment data from the BLS showed a 275,000 increase in payroll employment for February, outpacing the 230,000 average over the previous 12 months. The payroll data for January and December were revised down by a total of 167,000. The private sector added 223,000 new jobs, the largest gain since May of last year.

Temporary help services employment continues a steep decline after a sharp post-pandemic rise.

Average hours of work increased from 34.2 to 34.3. The increase, along with the 223,000 private employment increase led to a hefty increase in total hours of 5.6% at an annualized rate, also the largest increase since May of last year.

The establishment report, once again, beat “expectations;” the WSJ survey of economists was 198,000. Other than the downward revisions, mentioned above, another bit of negative news was a smallish increase in wage growth, from $34.52 to $34.57.

The household survey shows that the labor force increased 150,000, a drop in employment of 184,000 and an increase in the number of unemployed persons of 334,000. The labor force participation rate held steady at 62.5, the employment to population ratio decreased from 60.2 to 60.1 and the unemployment rate increased from 3.66 to 3.86. Remember that the unemployment rate is the number of unemployed relative to the labor force (the number employed plus the number unemployed). Consequently, the unemployment rate can go up if the number of unemployed rises holding fixed the labor force, or if the labor force shrinks holding the number unemployed unchanged. An increase in the unemployment rate is not necessarily a bad thing: it may reflect a strong labor market drawing “marginally attached” individuals from outside the labor force. Indeed, there was a 96,000 decline in those workers.

Earlier in the week, the BLS announced JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) data for January. There isn’t much to report here as the job openings changed little at 8.9 million, the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.7 million and 5.3 million, respectively.

As has been the case for the last couple of years, the number of job openings remains higher than the number of unemployed persons.

Also earlier in the week the BLS announced that productivity increased 3.2% in the 4th quarter with output rising 3.5% and hours of work rising 0.3%.

The bottom line is that the labor market continues its surprisingly (to some) strong performance, once again proving stronger than many had expected. This strength makes it difficult to justify any interest rate cuts soon, particularly given the recent inflation spike.

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Mortgage rates fall as labor market normalizes

Jobless claims show an expanding economy. We will only be in a recession once jobless claims exceed 323,000 on a four-week moving average.

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Everyone was waiting to see if this week’s jobs report would send mortgage rates higher, which is what happened last month. Instead, the 10-year yield had a muted response after the headline number beat estimates, but we have negative job revisions from previous months. The Federal Reserve’s fear of wage growth spiraling out of control hasn’t materialized for over two years now and the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9%. For now, we can say the labor market isn’t tight anymore, but it’s also not breaking.

The key labor data line in this expansion is the weekly jobless claims report. Jobless claims show an expanding economy that has not lost jobs yet. We will only be in a recession once jobless claims exceed 323,000 on a four-week moving average.

From the Fed: In the week ended March 2, initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits were flat, at 217,000. The four-week moving average declined slightly by 750, to 212,250


Below is an explanation of how we got here with the labor market, which all started during COVID-19.

1. I wrote the COVID-19 recovery model on April 7, 2020, and retired it on Dec. 9, 2020. By that time, the upfront recovery phase was done, and I needed to model out when we would get the jobs lost back.

2. Early in the labor market recovery, when we saw weaker job reports, I doubled and tripled down on my assertion that job openings would get to 10 million in this recovery. Job openings rose as high as to 12 million and are currently over 9 million. Even with the massive miss on a job report in May 2021, I didn’t waver.

Currently, the jobs openings, quit percentage and hires data are below pre-COVID-19 levels, which means the labor market isn’t as tight as it once was, and this is why the employment cost index has been slowing data to move along the quits percentage.  

2-US_Job_Quits_Rate-1-2

3. I wrote that we should get back all the jobs lost to COVID-19 by September of 2022. At the time this would be a speedy labor market recovery, and it happened on schedule, too

Total employment data

4. This is the key one for right now: If COVID-19 hadn’t happened, we would have between 157 million and 159 million jobs today, which would have been in line with the job growth rate in February 2020. Today, we are at 157,808,000. This is important because job growth should be cooling down now. We are more in line with where the labor market should be when averaging 140K-165K monthly. So for now, the fact that we aren’t trending between 140K-165K means we still have a bit more recovery kick left before we get down to those levels. 




From BLS: Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 275,000 in February, and the unemployment rate increased to 3.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, in government, in food services and drinking places, in social assistance, and in transportation and warehousing.

Here are the jobs that were created and lost in the previous month:

IMG_5092

In this jobs report, the unemployment rate for education levels looks like this:

  • Less than a high school diploma: 6.1%
  • High school graduate and no college: 4.2%
  • Some college or associate degree: 3.1%
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher: 2.2%
IMG_5093_320f22

Today’s report has continued the trend of the labor data beating my expectations, only because I am looking for the jobs data to slow down to a level of 140K-165K, which hasn’t happened yet. I wouldn’t categorize the labor market as being tight anymore because of the quits ratio and the hires data in the job openings report. This also shows itself in the employment cost index as well. These are key data lines for the Fed and the reason we are going to see three rate cuts this year.

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Inside The Most Ridiculous Jobs Report In History: Record 1.2 Million Immigrant Jobs Added In One Month

Inside The Most Ridiculous Jobs Report In History: Record 1.2 Million Immigrant Jobs Added In One Month

Last month we though that the January…

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Inside The Most Ridiculous Jobs Report In History: Record 1.2 Million Immigrant Jobs Added In One Month

Last month we though that the January jobs report was the "most ridiculous in recent history" but, boy, were we wrong because this morning the Biden department of goalseeked propaganda (aka BLS) published the February jobs report, and holy crap was that something else. Even Goebbels would blush. 

What happened? Let's take a closer look.

On the surface, it was (almost) another blockbuster jobs report, certainly one which nobody expected, or rather just one bank out of 76 expected. Starting at the top, the BLS reported that in February the US unexpectedly added 275K jobs, with just one research analyst (from Dai-Ichi Research) expecting a higher number.

Some context: after last month's record 4-sigma beat, today's print was "only" 3 sigma higher than estimates. Needless to say, two multiple sigma beats in a row used to only happen in the USSR... and now in the US, apparently.

Before we go any further, a quick note on what last month we said was "the most ridiculous jobs report in recent history": it appears the BLS read our comments and decided to stop beclowing itself. It did that by slashing last month's ridiculous print by over a third, and revising what was originally reported as a massive 353K beat to just 229K,  a 124K revision, which was the biggest one-month negative revision in two years!

Of course, that does not mean that this month's jobs print won't be revised lower: it will be, and not just that month but every other month until the November election because that's the only tool left in the Biden admin's box: pretend the economic and jobs are strong, then revise them sharply lower the next month, something we pointed out first last summer and which has not failed to disappoint once.

To be fair, not every aspect of the jobs report was stellar (after all, the BLS had to give it some vague credibility). Take the unemployment rate, after flatlining between 3.4% and 3.8% for two years - and thus denying expectations from Sahm's Rule that a recession may have already started - in February the unemployment rate unexpectedly jumped to 3.9%, the highest since February 2022 (with Black unemployment spiking by 0.3% to 5.6%, an indicator which the Biden admin will quickly slam as widespread economic racism or something).

And then there were average hourly earnings, which after surging 0.6% MoM in January (since revised to 0.5%) and spooking markets that wage growth is so hot, the Fed will have no choice but to delay cuts, in February the number tumbled to just 0.1%, the lowest in two years...

... for one simple reason: last month's average wage surge had nothing to do with actual wages, and everything to do with the BLS estimate of hours worked (which is the denominator in the average wage calculation) which last month tumbled to just 34.1 (we were led to believe) the lowest since the covid pandemic...

... but has since been revised higher while the February print rose even more, to 34.3, hence why the latest average wage data was once again a product not of wages going up, but of how long Americans worked in any weekly period, in this case higher from 34.1 to 34.3, an increase which has a major impact on the average calculation.

While the above data points were examples of some latent weakness in the latest report, perhaps meant to give it a sheen of veracity, it was everything else in the report that was a problem starting with the BLS's latest choice of seasonal adjustments (after last month's wholesale revision), which have gone from merely laughable to full clownshow, as the following comparison between the monthly change in BLS and ADP payrolls shows. The trend is clear: the Biden admin numbers are now clearly rising even as the impartial ADP (which directly logs employment numbers at the company level and is far more accurate), shows an accelerating slowdown.

But it's more than just the Biden admin hanging its "success" on seasonal adjustments: when one digs deeper inside the jobs report, all sorts of ugly things emerge... such as the growing unprecedented divergence between the Establishment (payrolls) survey and much more accurate Household (actual employment) survey. To wit, while in January the BLS claims 275K payrolls were added, the Household survey found that the number of actually employed workers dropped for the third straight month (and 4 in the past 5), this time by 184K (from 161.152K to 160.968K).

This means that while the Payrolls series hits new all time highs every month since December 2020 (when according to the BLS the US had its last month of payrolls losses), the level of Employment has not budged in the past year. Worse, as shown in the chart below, such a gaping divergence has opened between the two series in the past 4 years, that the number of Employed workers would need to soar by 9 million (!) to catch up to what Payrolls claims is the employment situation.

There's more: shifting from a quantitative to a qualitative assessment, reveals just how ugly the composition of "new jobs" has been. Consider this: the BLS reports that in February 2024, the US had 132.9 million full-time jobs and 27.9 million part-time jobs. Well, that's great... until you look back one year and find that in February 2023 the US had 133.2 million full-time jobs, or more than it does one year later! And yes, all the job growth since then has been in part-time jobs, which have increased by 921K since February 2023 (from 27.020 million to 27.941 million).

Here is a summary of the labor composition in the past year: all the new jobs have been part-time jobs!

But wait there's even more, because now that the primary season is over and we enter the heart of election season and political talking points will be thrown around left and right, especially in the context of the immigration crisis created intentionally by the Biden administration which is hoping to import millions of new Democratic voters (maybe the US can hold the presidential election in Honduras or Guatemala, after all it is their citizens that will be illegally casting the key votes in November), what we find is that in February, the number of native-born workers tumbled again, sliding by a massive 560K to just 129.807 million. Add to this the December data, and we get a near-record 2.4 million plunge in native-born workers in just the past 3 months (only the covid crash was worse)!

The offset? A record 1.2 million foreign-born (read immigrants, both legal and illegal but mostly illegal) workers added in February!

Said otherwise, not only has all job creation in the past 6 years has been exclusively for foreign-born workers...

Source: St Louis Fed FRED Native Born and Foreign Born

... but there has been zero job-creation for native born workers since June 2018!

This is a huge issue - especially at a time of an illegal alien flood at the southwest border...

... and is about to become a huge political scandal, because once the inevitable recession finally hits, there will be millions of furious unemployed Americans demanding a more accurate explanation for what happened - i.e., the illegal immigration floodgates that were opened by the Biden admin.

Which is also why Biden's handlers will do everything in their power to insure there is no official recession before November... and why after the election is over, all economic hell will finally break loose. Until then, however, expect the jobs numbers to get even more ridiculous.

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/08/2024 - 13:30

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