WASHINGTON – In a blow to President Bush’s re-election hopes, the U.S. economy added a disappointing 96,000 jobs in September, the Labor Department estimated Friday.
The unemployment rate was steady at 5.4 percent last month. Read the full release.
Stock futures fell on the report, bonds gained and the dollar fell. See full story.
In a presidential campaign that could hinge on the state of the economy, the latest figures show four straight months of weak job growth after three strong months in the spring.
In the past 13 months, payrolls have risen by 1.8 million, although payrolls are still down about 800,000 since Bush took office in early 2001.
For this complete story, please visit September Jobs Report Comes in Under Estimates.