Friday’s Jobs Report will be indicator of what to expect for the rest of the year.

The celebration of July 4th tells us that one-half of 2019 is over. That is a sobering thought for those who believe that time is going too fast. It has certainly been a very interesting first half of the year. Thus far we have seen a very volatile, but positive, stock market; interest rates much lower than predicted; and an economy which is slowing down, but not as quickly as most have predicted. 

This week will continue to be interesting from a market-watching standpoint. On Friday, we have the jobs report being released. One reason the economy has continued to expand is the steady creation of jobs. However, last month the job creation machine took a breather. Thus, Friday's jobs report will tell us whether the economy might be slowing down more quickly than we witnessed in the first quarter. 

One month of slower employment growth is not that concerning. If we have a decent amount of jobs added in June and/or May's numbers are revised significantly upward, any concerns will be put on the back burner for now. However, two straight months of slow job growth would be seen as a red flag for those who are concerned about an economic slowdown. It could also prompt the Federal Reserve Board to act on lowering rates sooner rather than later.