President Trump Touts New Optimism and Jobs Reports

President Donald Trump reminded Americans on Tuesday that public optimism and job creation are both on the rise in the U.S. economy, citing recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor and a report from Bloomberg Markets.

In February, unemployment fell to 4.7 percent and domestic employers added 235,000 vs. the expected 190,000 new jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.  Construction and manufacturing jobs saw massive gains, a reflection of President Trump's promise to blue collar workers. Economic progress has skyrocketed since the January 25 inauguration.  The U.S. stock market hit 20,000 for the first time in history just days after President Trump took office, and the Dow Jones industrial average soared above 21,000 for the first time last week. 

And according to the report form Bloomberg, optimism among CEOs jumped dramatically in the first quarter of 2017.

Optimism among chief executive officers of some of the largest U.S. companies jumped in the first quarter by the most since the economy was emerging from the last recession, as the outlook for sales, the labor market and investment brightened considerably.

The Business Roundtable’s CEO Economic Outlook Index -- a measure of expectations for revenue, capital spending and employment -- jumped 19.1 points to 93.3, according to the group’s survey released Tuesday. The increase, the biggest since the final three months of 2009, left the gauge above its long-run average of 79.8 for the first time in seven quarters. Readings above 50 indicate economic expansion.

“I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to enact a meaningful pro-growth agenda that will benefit all Americans,” Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said in a statement. “As these results confirm, business confidence and optimism have increased dramatically.”