The good news is that the economy gained 288,000 jobs last month. The bad news is that the labor force participation rate fell back to 30 year lows while wages remained flat. The "official" unemployment rate dropped to 6.3% from 6.7% in March. Wall Street Journal: The report is the strongest sign yet the economy has stabilized since December and January, when the recovery nearly halted in the face of snow storms and severe cold. It also could reassure Federal Reserve officials the economy is on solid footing as the central bank gradually winds down its bond-buying program. The Fed cut its monthly purchases by another $10 billion this week to $45 billion as central bank officials said the economy appears to be strengthening. Gross domestic product grew at an annual pace of 0.1% in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department reported this week. Job growth averaged just 114,000 in December and January, half the pace of growth from August...(Read Full Post)