ZACKS·2025-11-05 17:06Labor Market Insights - The October ADP private-sector payroll report indicates an addition of +42K new jobs, surpassing expectations by +20K and reversing the previous month's downward revision of -29K [2] - Despite this positive report, the American labor market shows signs of decline, with an average gain of only +29K new jobs over the last four months, a decrease from +53K and +197K in the previous two four-month periods [3] Job Growth by Sector - Goods-producing jobs increased by +9K, while services jobs rose by +33K, with large firms (over 500 employees) contributing +73K to the job growth, contrasting with negative growth in small and medium-sized companies [4] - The Trade/Transportation/Utilities sector led job growth with +47K, followed by Education/Healthcare at +26K, while Leisure/Hospitality and Professional/Business Services saw declines of -6K and -15K respectively [5] Wage Trends - Wage gains for job stayers averaged +4.5%, while job changers saw an increase of +6.7%, indicating a narrowing historical gap and suggesting less urgency for employees to seek new positions [6] Company Earnings Reports - McDonald's (MCD) reported earnings of $3.22 per share, missing estimates of $3.35, but same-store sales increased by +3.6%, leading to a +3% rise in pre-market trading [7] - Humana (HUM) exceeded earnings expectations with $3.24 per share, a +11.34% beat, and revenues of $32.65 billion, but lowered guidance caused shares to drop by -5.5% [8] - Aurora Cannabis (ACB) reported earnings of $0.09 per share, a +200% surprise compared to expectations, with record quarterly revenues of $70.5 million, up +15% year-over-year, resulting in a +9% increase in pre-market trading [9]