US Employment Cost Growth At Record Highs
U.S. employment costs’ year-over-year increase in Q2 is its fastest in almost 10 years.
At 2.8%, the year-over-year growth in employment cost index, as released by the U.S. Labor Department, is the most since Q3 2008. Wages and salaries increased 2.8% year-over-year - again the fastest pace since Q3 2008. Benefits costs climbed 2.9%, the most since Q4 2011.
Demand for labor increased particularly in the manufacturing, construction and service-related industries. Employment costs for manufacturers rose 2.9%, while that for construction and private service providers went up by 3% and 2.9% respectively - on a year-over-year basis.
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Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
ITB sees its 50-day moving average cross bearishly below its 200-day moving average
The 50-day moving average for ITB moved below the 200-day moving average on September 02, 2026. This could be a long-term bearish signal for the stock as the stock shifts to an downward trend.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on September 28, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on ITB as a result. In 65 of 75 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 87%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where ITB declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 88%.
The Aroon Indicator for ITB entered a downward trend on October 06, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
Bullish Trend Analysis
The RSI Oscillator points to a transition from a downward trend to an upward trend -- in cases where ITB's RSI Indicator exited the oversold zone, 22 of 27 resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are 81%.
The Stochastic Oscillator shows that the ticker has stayed in the oversold zone for 4 days. The price of this ticker is presumed to bounce back soon, since the longer the ticker stays in the oversold zone, the more promptly an upward trend is expected.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for ITB just turned positive on October 06, 2026. Looking at past instances where ITB's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 50 of 52 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 90%.
Following a +4.14% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where ITB advanced for three days, in 266 of 304 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 88%.
ITB may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
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