Labor/Economy

There were 4.7 million job openings on the last business day of September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

The Energy Information Agency is predicting lower oil prices next year, which on the whole would be a positive for the U.S. economy, though the agency also stresses the uncertainty involved in predicting prices.

The Pew Charitable Trusts released a report that quantified how difficult the recession and post-recession years were for the 30 largest U.S. cities.

The worldwide price of oil continued its fall with the international benchmark Brent crude coming in at $82.34, the lowest price in more than four years.

The gains in U.S. employment in October, which totaled a net of 214,000 jobs, were fairly widespread across various industries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

U.S. private-sector employment increased by 230,000 jobs in October, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report.

CoreLogic reported that home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 5.6 percent in September compared to the same month last year.