Artículos Del Times

Obama gets pre-election jobs figures boost

President Obama can breathe a sigh of relief today after avoiding potential pre-election disaster with the release of better than expected jobs figures,the last before Tuesday’s election.
The figures showed a gain of 171,000 jobs in October, better than had been anticipated but not enough to prevent a slight uptick in the rate of unemployment, whichrose from 7.8 per cent to 7.9 per cent.
The slight increase in joblessness robs Mr Obama of the opportunity to trumpet an unambiguous and accelerating recovery.
But the jobs gain also denies hisrival, Mitt Romney, the knock-out punch he was hoping for with just four days remaining until the presidential election.
“Today’s report is a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill,”Mr Romney said yesterday, moments after the figures were released.
Glenn Hubbard, Mr Romney’s top economic adviser, dismissed the idea that the numbers were positive, saying: “Our expectations may bedumbed down a bit.”
However, the figures, also included an upward revision of the number of jobs added in August and September, bolstering Mr Obama’s narrative about the trajectory of the recovery.Economists said these were evidence of a return to sustained growth, with the threat of a double-dip recession receding.
Earlier this week, consumer confidence hit its highest level since February2008, nearly a year before Mr Obama took office.
New swing state polls out on Friday show how much Mr Romney was counting on the figures to provide a knock-out punch.
Mr Obama remains ahead by fivepoints in Ohio and by six points in Iowa, and has extended his previously narrow lead in New Hampshire to a full five points.
The lie of the electoral map looks such that Mr Romney cannot win withoutcarrying at least one of those states.
The figures also go a long way to allaying suspicions that the big drop in the unemployment rate in September might have been a one-month statistical fluke....